COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 10, 2025

QUESTION NO. 12

QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

To ask the Chief Executive how he engages with Owner Management Companies who manage common areas that include social housing, to ensure that the fees SDCC pay to the OMC are put to good use? 

REPLY:

An increasing number of residents in the County now live in apartments, duplexes and houses that are part of multi-unit developments with common areas, or shared spaces and services. In most cases, the shared facilities for the benefit of the residents are controlled and operated by an owners’ management company (OMC) on behalf of its members, who may be owner-occupiers or landlords. OMCs are established to manage and maintain common areas in multi-unit developments and are the legal owners of the common areas on behalf of the owners of the homes.

The Council currently pays management fees to sixty- four OMCs in respect of seven hundred and eight five social homes. Our housing officers and maintenance teams are active in these estates and where our staff observe or receive complaints regarding the management of common areas in a mixed tenure development, contact is made with the relevant OMC or their property management agent to discuss the issues. The most common complaints from tenants relate to the cleaning of communal areas and delays in maintenance and repairs. Similarly, the OMC can contact the Housing Department regarding issues relating to our tenant(s) for non-compliance with ‘house rules’ including anti-social behaviour, noise pollution and waste management.

A number of staff from our Housing Department recently attended a Multi- Unit Development training and awareness session with the Housing Agency in relation to the housing authority’s role and responsibilities. In addition, the new Programme for Government outlines plans for improving the management of these developments by moving responsibility for the Multi-Unit Development Acts to the Department of Housing to streamline support for OMCs and improve oversight. It also proposes the establishment of a unit in the Housing Agency to regulate OMCs to ensure effective governance.