£416,000 repair bills puts damper on the boom

The Irish Home Builders Association are also having problems, but in this case it is mainly with their members, some of whom …

The Irish Home Builders Association are also having problems, but in this case it is mainly with their members, some of whom are cutting corners on the finish in new housing developments. Last year, the HomeBond scheme run by the organisation had to shell out £416,000 on repairs to new homes. Most of the claims stem from problems with dampness in ground floor apartments. Since 1989, a staggering £3 million has been spent on patching up builders' bad workmanship. Michael Greene, of HomeBond, blames the property boom since more homes are under warranty now than at any time in the past. However, with developers enjoying record profits and access to much improved building materials, perhaps HomeBond should be encouraging builders to improve the specification. Some of the apartments coming on the market are still poorly finished and, come the downturn, buyers will not settle for shoddy workmanship.