Many homeowners continue to live in ever worsening conditions caused by structural damage, leading to stress, depression, and anxiety

Throughout Ireland, the housing crisis persists, affecting people’s lives, well-being, and physical and mental health. Three interconnected issues are at the core of this crisis: the unsustainable cost of rent, the lack of affordable housing, and the proliferation of dangerously defective dwellings.

High rents create uncertainty for many, while the scarcity of affordable homes makes homeownership unattainable, especially for younger individuals. Additionally, many are forced to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions due to defective buildings.

Defective houses

Regarding defective dwellings, two main categories have been identified. A working group’s report in July 2022 found that 100,000 apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 had defects, with fire safety being the most prevalent issue. The other issue is buildings made with concrete products contaminated by pyrite and pyrrhotite, notably affecting homes in the Counties visibly most affected, such as Donegal and Mayo. Estimates suggest that 5,000 to 6,000 homes are impacted, but Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has acknowledged the actual number could be double. A European Parliament group reported severe health, financial, and social consequences from the use of contaminated concrete, worsening the housing crisis. 

Homeowners affected by defective concrete believe the government’s response is inadequate and their scheme is not fit for purpose The redress scheme, established by the Irish government after significant protests, and community led campaigns is criticised for being insufficient and excluding many applicants

Caps on payments mean that most homeowners face an approximate €100,000 shortfall, making it financially unfeasible for them to apply. This has been corroborated by media revelations that a former attorney general Paul Gallagher advised the government to minimise the number of applicants, keep claims as low as possible and limit the state’s financial exposure.  Gallagher – whose property portfolio is worth about €8.5 million – wrote it would be imperative to ensure applicants could only avail of “the least costly option” in order for the State to adhere to its austerity policies of saving money at the expense of the people’s health and well-being.  As a result, many homeowners continue to live in ever worsening hazardous conditions caused by structural damage along with damp walls causing mould and electrical hazards. This is leading to stress, depression, and anxiety, compounded by feelings of betrayal by the government. With winter approaching, a recently elected local Councillor and long-time campaigner has called for emergency accommodation for those in deteriorating homes.

Vulnerable people

The housing crisis also profoundly impacts women and children experiencing domestic abuse. A lack of affordable housing options has forced many to remain in the homes of their abusers, as they have nowhere else to go. This dangerous situation exacerbates their vulnerability and leaves them trapped in a cycle of violence and fear. The limited availability of rental properties further complicates their ability to escape and seek refuge, as they may be unable to secure a safe and stable living environment. It is essential to address the housing crisis not only from an affordability perspective but also to protect the safety and well-being of women and children who are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse. Policymakers and support organisations must prioritise the needs of these vulnerable populations, ensuring that they have access to appropriate housing options that enable them to escape dangerous living situations and rebuild their lives in safety and security.

Unjustly blaming migrants 

People who come to Ireland from other countries because they are fleeing wars and political and economic turmoil face particular challenges. Their experience of overt racism and xenophobia from those influenced by far-right and fascistic bigotry is often coupled with discrimination and infringement of human rights by the State. This was highlighted recently with media reports of violent street protests fomented by far-right and loyalist groups, and by the news of a High Court ruling that the State is failing to adequately provide asylum seekers with shelter, food and access to basic hygiene facilities, and is therefore in breach of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Irish Constitution.

As well as being the victims of government failure to provide adequately for the housing needs of people, they are often unjustly blamed for this problem. Also finding a house can be significantly more challenging for individuals perceived by some landlords to have foreign names, as they exhibit a prejudiced preference for tenants with Irish names. This discriminatory practice further complicates the housing search for immigrants and exacerbates their vulnerability in an already challenging rental market.

Emergency accommodation

The urgency of the situation is further highlighted by the rising number of individuals accessing emergency accommodation in Ireland. Many have been evicted and are unable to find alternative places to live because they cannot afford to pay higher rents or there is not enough availability of rental accommodation. As of October 2022, 11,397 people, including 3,480 children, were utilising emergency accommodation to meet their basic housing needs. These figures exemplify the severity of the crisis and the need for immediate action.

In addition to the increasing number of people seeking emergency accommodation, many young adults have been forced to remain in their family homes. A 2022 Irish Independent report revealed that 350,000 adults aged between 20 and 35 are still living with their parents. This trend not only highlights the unaffordability of housing but also underscores the lasting impact the crisis has on young adults’ independence and financial stability.

Much like in other parts of the world, the wealth distribution in Ireland is highly unequal, with 1% of the population owning 27% of the wealth, as reported by Oxfam in January 2023. This unequal distribution of wealth further exacerbates the housing crisis, as it creates a stark divide between those who can afford housing and those who are left struggling to make ends meet.

The ruling political parties and business interests overwhelmingly endorse this system with its inequalities caused by the unbalanced sharing of the social assets generated by the efforts of working people. This was confirmed in relation to the necessary supply of housing by a recent business analysis describing how a major property developer is monetising its low-cost land bank, mostly provided cheaply by the State, to generate sizeable sums of surplus cash, with two-thirds of this to ‘flow to shareholders’.

The problems caused by producing houses motivated primarily for the enrichment of ‘shareholders’ was also illustrated by the recent decision of the European Commission to open an infringement procedure against the Irish State for not carrying out market surveillance as required by the Construction Products Regulation, which contributed gravely to several thousand houses in Ireland suffering very serious damage due to defective construction products. So called ‘market driven’ approaches are frequently cited as offering solutions to the need for affordable, accessible and well-constructed homes. However, the ongoing housing crisis of a lack of affordable homes and defectively built dwellings demonstrates that the opposite is the case. It is past time that enough properly constructed homes are produced to meet the needs of the many, and not to create fortunes for the few.

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