The Labour Party used its last 2008 allocation of Private Members’ time to raise again the urgent need for legislation on property management companies. Speaking after the private members’ debate, Deputy Joan Burton called on the Government to finally bite the bullet on management companies and bring forward the long promised and much needed legislation.

The Labour Party motion had called on the Government to publish as a matter of urgency a Bill, based on the draft provided by the Law Reform Commission back in June of this year, aimed at reforming the law on management companies

“Having been promised legislation on property management companies ‘as soon as possible’ for over two years, it is still no closer. The Government appears completely at sea on the issue and still don’t even know whether it requires one piece of legislation or three. When this Government says ‘as soon as possible’, what they seem to mean is ‘whenever we get around to it’.

“This is kind of foot-dragging is typical of our do-nothing Government.

“While some people are quite happy with their property management company, their are unfortunately many more who are not. With an explosion of new housing development in Dublin 15 in the last decade, it is understandable that many of the people affected find themselves in this area.

“People contact me on a daily basis with concerns about their management company. The Government have know about these problems, and have known that new legislation is needed, for many years now but have sat on their hands. I have brought this issue up in the Dáil on many occasions, and I’ll keep pushing when the Dáil resumes in the New Year, but the Government doesn’t seem to want to listen.

“Thousands of people in homes across Dublin 15 are caught in a nightmare management company trap. They pay sometimes huge fees, often for a very poor level of service in return. The sector remains completely unregulated and cowboy developers and their agents are running rough-shod over homeowners.

“There is no regulation to protect people from being fleeced.”