Opening of Fully-Funded Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme of Defective Apartments is Very Significant Step Forward

Scheme will support fire alarm upgrades and making escape routes safe while defective apartment developments wait for full remediation

The Construction Defects Alliance has said that the opening today (Monday, 11 December 2023) by Minister Darragh O’Brien of the Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme for defective apartment developments is a very significant step forward in sorting the issues affecting Celtic Tiger-era apartments.

It is estimated that up to 100,000 apartments built between 1991 and 2013 are defective with up to 90,000 affected by fire safety issues. The Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme will fully-fund fire alarm upgrades or replacements as well as making sure escape routes are safe. The costs of competent professionals – in carrying out an initial fire safety risk assessment and in managing the process of implementing the interim measures – will also be covered.

Construction Defects Alliance spokesperson, Pat Montague, explained that over the past 18 months – when it became apparent that the full roll-out of a remediation scheme for defective apartments could take up to 10 years – the Alliance, together with the ‘Not Our Fault’ group, has been advocating for an Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme so that people can continue to live safely and free from worry and anxiety in their apartments while they await remediation.

“Today Minister Darragh O’Brien has announced that the fully-funded Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme – under the management of the Housing Agency – is now open for applications from owners’ management companies (OMCs). This is an incredibly important event and we would encourage all OMCs and the people acting on their behalf to log onto the Housing Agency’s website (www.housingagency.ie) and register for the scheme. This will thankfully prompt many OMCs to commission fire safety risk assessments to see if there are fire safety defects in their complexes. Where fire safety risk assessments have already been carried out for apartment developments then they can move on to getting interim works carried out. 

“Significantly – at the request of the Construction Defects Alliance – the Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme will include making escape routes safe as well as ensuring that they are well-lit and free of obstacles. We know of a number of apartment developments where escape routes are compromised from a safety perspective so it’s crucial for the residents of these complexes that their escape routes are made fire-safe.”

Pat Montague concluded by saying that the Alliance will be focused on working with Minister O’Brien and the Housing Agency on making sure any teething issues with the Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme are sorted quickly while also looking to progress the reimbursement of apartment owners who have paid to have defects remediated as well as the legislation for the overall defects remediation scheme.