Letter Regarding Management Companies in Tyrrelstown published in the "Community Voice"

Dear Editor,

I am writing to share with your wide audience, the opinions and experiences of residents of Tyrrelstown in regard to the Management Companies operating in the area. There is a widely shared and pervasive discontent with the services of these companies.

Recently, I became cognisant of the frustration of my fellow residents on this matter through informal discussions with neighbours on broad ranging communal issues. Consequently, I embarked upon a door-to-door fact finding survey of residents to ascertain the facts of the matter. The results were astounding: over 90% of respondents were extremely dissatisfied with the services of these companies. There was a shared belief that the 8 management companies are of little or no benefit to their freehold houses.

My survey also uncovered extreme dissatisfaction from residents on a perceived attempt by the County Council to transfer responsibility for the green areas around the boulevard onto the residents. This is despite an original understanding that the Management Companies were supposed to remain attached to the apartments and the dedicated parking areas, as recently highlighted in an article in the Community Voice and also confirmed by Fingal County Council.

In reaction to these findings, documentations were sought on the planning process between the Management Companies, the ‘Developer’ and the ‘Planning Authority’, invoking the Freedom of Information Act. It is our understanding that these documents should have been agreed by both parties, and submitted to the planning authorities before development started. To our utter dismay, the Co Council replied in writing stating that after an intensive search of their planning file and computer system, they could confirm that a response was not issued from the planning department in relation to this submission, and that no agreement/details exist in relation to the management companies. The implication of this is that there is no way of clearly demarcating areas of responsibility between the Management Companies and the County Council.

The impact of this unfortunate situation on the residents of Tyrrelstown is evident, and not helped by the current economic realities in which most people are struggling to make ends meet. In my view, the local authority should move quickly to set up systems that would facilitate appropriate responsibility for the various aspects of our residential areas. The current structure should be abolished, as it is unfair, unjust and unsustainable. It also imposes significant financial burden on households, and impacts on community cohesion and communal spirit.

Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my views on this issue through your highly esteemed medium.