Interim fire safety measures urged for defective buildings

A range of interim measures to ensure residents of defective apartments are safe in the event of a fire have been recommended to the Government while a more comprehensive State support scheme is being finalised.

A code of practice for remediating fire safety defects has been drawn up by a Government-appointed group and is due to be published within weeks.

A draft of the report, seen by The Irish Times, points to the importance of making homes safe now while residents await the establishment of a State scheme to cover the cost of building defects which are estimated to affect up to 100,000 Celtic Tiger-era apartments.

The report recommends “immediate implementation” of interim measures such as enhanced alarm systems and emergency lighting, increased fire safety inspections and the construction of temporary fire resisting materials.

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Further recommendations include that a fire safety assessment be carried out on individual blocks initially, which would then inform what level of interim measures are needed. It is understood money for these measures could be made available before the end of the year.

The report also states it is important that these interim measures “are not viewed as a long-term solution” and that their purpose is to “provide an acceptable level of fire safety in the building pending completion of remedial works”.

Previous costings drawn up by the Construction Defects Alliance for a number of interim measures, including fire wardens and alarm upgrades, put the estimated cost to the exchequer at €25 million.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien secured Cabinet approval for a €2.5 billion State scheme in January, and his department is now working on putting that scheme on a statutory footing.

[ 'It's a dangerous situation': Property owners in defective homes call for urgent Government action ]

It is understood that the heads of the Bill underpinning the legislation will be published by the end of 2023, and go before the Oireachtas housing committee for pre-legislative scrutiny after that, with the aim of having the scheme up and running by the third quarter of 2024.

A spokeswoman for the Minister said that to “ensure important life-safety works are not paused, remediation works related to fire safety defects, entered into or commenced [on] January 18th, 2023, will form part of the remediation scheme, subject to terms and conditions”.

A political commitment was also made to repay people who had already covered the costs of remediating their properties before January 2023.

However, industry sources have pointed to a slowdown in the progression of defect remediation works as management companies wait for the State scheme to get up and running.

Chartered building surveyor Kevin Hollingsworth said there was “significant evidence showing things are slowing down and people are pausing to see how things develop”, potentially leaving buildings unsafe.

[ Ministers overruled officials who believed €1bn could be shaved from cost of apartment defects scheme ]

Pat Montague, spokesman for the Construction Defects Alliance, said that last year the alliance “got a commitment from Government that funds would be available in 2023 for such interim fire safety measures and the Minister has confirmed to us – and in the Dáil chamber – that such funds are available”.

“In the context of the draft fire safety code of practice and the availability of funds, we have asked the Minister to put in place a temporary administrative scheme so that the roll-out of the interim fire safety measures – managed by the Housing Agency – could begin later this year,” Mr Montague said.