Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)

In my constituency, there is a lovely little village called Rathmolyon. It has a population of about 1,700 people. Five years ago, a brand-new housing development of 16 houses, called the Ringfort Estate, was begun. I will read some words taken directly from one of the couples looking for their forever home there:

It has been more than five years since we put our booking deposit down on a home in the Ringfort development in Rathmolyon. At the time, it felt like the start of a new chapter and a chance to put down roots in our own community, raise our children and finally have a place to call our own. Instead, we have spent the better part of six years trapped in limbo, paying rent, storing furniture and living with a constant sense of uncertainty and frustration. We were never warned that the project would be in jeopardy. We believed, as any buyer would, that the developer was doing everything in his power to deliver our homes. We paid our full deposit, signed our contracts and were told to expect completion within 18 months, but that never happened. In early 2023, we were told that each buyer would need to pay a lot more to make the project viable. Within five months, receivers were appointed. We, along with four other remaining buyers, tried to stay positive. We negotiated, waited and compromised, even agreeing to pay an additional sum each to help move things along. By late 2024, every house on the site was structurally complete. The utilities were connected and all that remained was the final road surfacing and landscaping works. We have been left to fight for something that should have been straightforward. Our contracts are binding, our payments are made and the homes are built. The financial and emotional toll has been immense.

This is not just a story about one development. It is a reflection of how broken a system can be that allows ordinary people to put their deposit down on a home, contractually agree the price of their home, do everything right and still lose. What protections are currently available to home buyers in insolvency situations, such as the five contracted purchasers in the Ringfort development in Rathmolyon who have been waiting five years for completion despite having valid contracts for sale? This situation is absolutely desperate. Can you imagine forking out all that money, knowing your house is standing there and you cannot get your keys? Will the Leader ask the Minister for housing and the Minister for enterprise to look at this project to identify a way these people can get their homes and to protect other people who may be about to pay their deposits today on homes from going through a situation like this?