COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
QUESTION NO. 14
QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin
To ask the Chief Executive to provide a report on issues in Balgaddy detailing the following:
- the number of maintenance requests recieved by estate in 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014?
- the number of of damp/condensation related maintenance requests by estate in 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014?
- the total cost of responding to maintenance requests by estate in 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014?
- the total number of reports of anti social behaviour by estate per month in 2012, 2013 and 2014?
- the total number of house visits by anti social response staff by estate per month in 2012, 2013 and 2014?
REPLY:
In relation to the information requested regarding housing maintenance requests an exercise was carried out to extract information from the computer records using the key words 'damp/mould' and the following chart shows the result of that exercise. The first number in each box shows the total number of maintenance requests received (incl. dampness requests) and the second smaller number shows the total number of “dampness” maintenance requests received.
| Area | 2012 MRF' | Of Which are damp | 2013 MRF' | Of Which are damp | 2014 MRF' | Of Which are damp | Total MRF'S | Of Which are damp |
|
Tor an Rí |
239 |
13 |
205 |
10 |
166 |
10 |
610 |
33 |
|
Búirg an Rí |
209 |
9 |
149 |
3 |
106 |
3 |
464 |
15 |
|
Méile an Rí |
680 |
16 |
539 |
21 |
353 |
6 | 1573 | 42 |
| TOTALS | 2646 | 90 |
Most of the problems being experienced in these estates are now due to tenants not ventilating their homes in an adequate manner. There were some problems when the estate was originally constructed with leaks around windows and doors as well as roofs in some cases. All of these defects have been remedied by the Council who put in place a dedicated team with the task of responding to all reports of damp / mould. A recent Architects report on the estates found that extensive remedial works for the area have been undertaken and dampness issue due to building defects have been resolved.
When complaints are received in relation to dampness in dwellings the Clerk of Works visits the tenant and examines the complaint. In most cases he uses a moisture meter to measure the amount of water in the air in the house. He has reported that in a considerable number of cases the water vapour is extremely high and consequently the vast majority of complaints are dealt with by suggesting ventilation or small lifestyle changes which contribute to the retention of water vapour in the atmosphere. In all cases the tenants are provided with information regarding condensation and its prevention and informed that this information is also available on the Council Website.
It is not possible to provide the information on the cost of maintenance by estate at present. However the maintenance section are examining their systems in an effort to extract it in the coming days. When extracted it will be forwarded to you.
In relation to the matters pertaining to the anti-social aspects of the areas in question, the following is a chart of the requested information
House calls / inspections
| Meile an Ri | Buirg an Ri | Foxdene Ave | Tor an Ri | |
| 2012 | 110 | 16 | 185 | 23 |
| 2013 | 170 | 38 | 105 | 62 |
| 2014 (Jan – Aug) | 73 | 33 | 74 | 65 |
Complaints received
| Meile an Ri | Buirg an Ri | Foxdene Ave | Tor an Ri | |
| 2012 | 50 | 7 | 32 | 28 |
| 2013 | 129 | 30 | 62 | 80 |
| 2014 (Jan – Aug) | 67 | 20 | 47 | 53 |