Management company debacle

AS EVERY day goes by, tens of thousands of householders continue to be the victim of unregulated management companies.

AS EVERY day goes by, tens of thousands of householders continue to be the victim of unregulated management companies. These companies demand hundreds and indeed thousands of euro every year for services that in many cases are not provided and in many more are overpriced and should be provided as a public service without a direct charge as in established estates.
It is generally those who are shackled to massive mortgages, for properties bought at the height of the boom, that are also tied up in these companies. Promises by the Greens in particular that they would enter no government, unless this extortion racket was sorted out, have long been forgotten as they sit in their comfortable jobs with their secure pensions.
Meanwhile, residents on the ground are suffering pay cuts and job losses. The level of non-payment of management fees is escalating sharply. Not a District Court session takes place without these cases being listed. Increasingly, householders are being forced to make a stand. Even the judiciary is fed up that nothing has been done.
Before Christmas, residents from Ridgewood in Swords and Martello in Balbriggan had their cases struck out. Balbriggan’s Brackenwood residents are back up in court in February, the management company having failed to reach agreement with the residents, as ordered by the judge.
This entire situation is an utter debacle, which is putting ordinary homeowners under huge and unwanted pressure. In many estates, residents have come together in order to try and take on these companies. But we need to link up beyond that.
Throughout the course of January and February, the Socialist Party is organising information forums in the areas most affected by this issue, in order to bring together those people from the different estates to exchange experiences and step up the pressure on this issue. For more information, contact Cllr. Clare Daly on 8408059.

Total
0
Shares
Previous Article

One parent family cuts

Next Article

Hughes Christensen: No more job losses in East Belfast

Related Posts
Read More

Youth protesters’ ‘Tahrir Square’ occupation

After a tremendous demonstration against cuts last Saturday, 14 May, in Barcelona, with 250,000 participants, this week saw the development of the “May 15 movement”. Unemployed and students took to the streets. Inspired by the demonstrations in Portugal and the revolutions in the Maghreb and Middle East, especially Egypt, young people occupied Puerta del Sol, one of the main squares of Madrid. Police repeatedly tried to break up the protest but the youth defended their “Tahir Square”.

Read More

Take the fight against austerity on to the political field

In the immediate period after the passing of the Property Tax registration deadline in May, and what for most areas could be months or even over a year before the installation of water meters takes place, there is a challenge facing all local campaigns which fought household and property taxes as to how to maintain themselves for the future battles.