Call for cap on fees for apartment dwellers

The new Lord Mayor of Dublin has called for a cap on apartment management fees, to combat what he called "outrageous" increases levied by landlords.

Cllr Royston Brady said apartment dwellers were facing hikes of up to 60 per cent for services such as upkeep of communal areas, waste disposal and security.

Condemning this as "completely unacceptable", he added: "Demands well in excess of €1,200 a year are now the norm in many areas, with management firms apparently free to increase their charges at will."

Last month, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, published new tenancy legislation, the Residential Tenancies Bill, which he said would end the "Victorian approach" to property rights.

Among other changes, the bill will oblige landlords to maintain properties to the standard existing at the start of a lease, restrict rent reviews to a maximum of once yearly with increases pegged to market rates, and grant four years security of tenure to a tenant of six months' standing.

But Cllr Brady said the legislation should be amended to include a cap or other form of control on management fees. More and more Dubliners were living in apartments and the trend would continue, he added.

"By amending the legislation, we can ensure that this increasing population is not being ripped off."

A spokesman said the Lord Mayor was responding to complaints from a number of constituents in north Dublin, where large numbers of apartment blocks have been built in recent years.

Cllr Brady also urged apartment dwellers to ensure that the management fees they paid were being spent well.