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Dublin Property - Not All It's Cracked Up To Be...

I see in the Sunday Independent Newspaper today that "MORE than 430 people who have seen their homes plummet in value as a result of a allegedly defective building materials plan to sue for damages in an unprecedented legal showdown with the construction industry.


Hundreds of people who bought homes in three new housing developments in north Dublin resorted to legal action after cracks and other problems allegedly began to appear in their properties.

The developers have blamed the problems on defective building materials supplied by a north Dublin quarry and are repairing the defects.

That has not stopped residents from signing up with two of the city's biggest law firms, in what promises to be a protracted legal battle that will put building standards centre stage.

Arthur Cox is representing around 230 clients in Drynam Hall in Kinsealy and The Coast in Baldoyle, Co Dublin. Both developments were built three years ago by Menolly Homes, one Dublin's biggest home builders.

Solicitors Lavelle Coleman has been instructed by more than 200 clients, most in Beaupark, in Clongriffin, built by Menolly and Kiloe Developments. It will also act for a small number of residents of houses in Castlecurragh, an estate in west Dublin, which were built with the same allegedly defective material.

The scale of litigation has spiralled since problems were first encountered by residents more than a year ago.

Menolly Homes blamed the flaws on excessive levels of pyrite in the building materials used in the foundations and floors. The mineral reacts with oxygen and water to cause walls and ceilings to crack."
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