Council taking charge of development

schinkowski

Hi,
We're looking at buying a house in a new development, which is not finished yet and the builder is currently looking after the common areas. The sales agent says there will be no management company and it will be taken over by Dublin City Council once it's finished.
Is this normal? From what I can see, the council has 7 years to take charge and until it did, it's the owner's personal responsibility.

L1011

This is entirely normal. The council may refuse to take control due to common areas being unfinished, water or sewage pumping not being up to Irish Water standards or other reasons, though.

Once they have taken control, the builder will vanish. Not sure about DCC but most councils will cut the common areas rarely enough that you get meadows - hence a voluntary residents association usually forms to cover that.

A few councils made management companies conditions of planning to try escape the responsibility - avoid these estates. The management fee there will usually be many multiples of any residents association requested donation.

schinkowski

Thanks for your quick reply.
I guess there's no reason to be worried then.

Gumbo

What estate is it?

schinkowski

It's parkside in balgriffin.

Glass fused light

The Estate Agent is working for the builder so check the original planning permission on the DCC website to see what conditions were attached. Then check if they have been complied with.

schinkowski

Thanks. I could only find planning permissions for other phases for that development and they all have public areas marked to be taken over so I guess this phase will be the same.

Glass fused light

schinkowski wrote: »

Thanks. I could only find planning permissions for other phases for that development and they all have public areas marked to be taken over so I guess this phase will be the same.

I would investigate why you can't find the permission, call or drop an email to find out why it's not online. If you checked in person make very sure it's not because it's with enforcement etc.
Have the other phases been taken over and are there more phases to be built?
I have seen where people had bough into phase 1 and things like road surfacing was not completed as this was to be done once all the phases were finished but due to the property crash they got stuck in limbo.

schinkowski

Thanks for your reply. I used the DCC website. I've emailed them to see why it's not there but I don't really expect them to reply tbh. I don't know if the other phases have been taken over, I've asked in the thread about that development but nobody replied.

Glass fused light

schinkowski wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I used the DCC website. I've emailed them to see why it's not there but I don't really expect them to reply tbh. I don't know if the other phases have been taken over, I've asked in the thread about that development but nobody replied.

I have found my local council very proactive in replying to emails, so if you get a reply the person may also be willing to check the status of the other phases, or pass it to someone who can.

December2012

Your solicitor should have the planning in the title documents. Ask them. It's what you're paying them for.

Gumbo

schinkowski wrote: »

Thanks. I could only find planning permissions for other phases for that development and they all have public areas marked to be taken over so I guess this phase will be the same.

Glass fused light wrote: »

I would investigate why you can't find the permission, call or drop an email to find out why it's not online. If you checked in person make very sure it's not because it's with enforcement etc.
Have the other phases been taken over and are there more phases to be built?
I have seen where people had bough into phase 1 and things like road surfacing was not completed as this was to be done once all the phases were finished but due to the property crash they got stuck in limbo.

It is online.
My opinion is that you are using the wrong search text. Remember the original planning could be lodged as a name that doesn't resemble balgriffin as it is today.

Glass fused light

kceire wrote: »

It is online.
My opinion is that you are using the wrong search text. Remember the original planning could be lodged as a name that doesn't resemble balgriffin as it is today.

I did think it unusual if it was not turning up on an online map search, but could understand that the physical file could have been 'checked out' if it was not in the file room.

schinkowski

I'm pretty sure it's not online. I've tried searching via the developer's name, they only have 2 planning permissions in Balgriffin and they're both for phases 2a and 2b. The house we're interested in is in phase 1 according to the phase map. I've also looked at all other planning permissions in parkside and balgriffin and couldn't find it.

schinkowski

Never mind. I found it now. The text search didn't show granted planning permissions but the map search showed it.