Northern Ireland home owners affected by defective blocks should consider joining a High Court legal action in the Republic.
That’s according to Shaun Hegarty of the not-for-profit organisation, Defective Blocks Ireland. It is funding a landmark High Court legal case on behalf of over 1,600 Donegal homeowners.
He said Northern-based owners of holiday homes in Donegal should also join the action.
Last month, Dublin law firm Coleman Legal, on behalf of Defective Blocks Ireland, served more than 1,400 writs on behalf of homeowners. The cases are against Cassidy Brothers Quarry, Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
The landmark legal case is seeking compensation on behalf of homeowners on the shortfall of payment outside of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme established by the Irish Government.
“Just like Donegal homeowners, many homeowners in Northern Ireland are finding themselves in the position of having discovered their homes have been built with defective concrete blocks from Donegal,” Mr Hegarty said.
“There are also many people who have holiday homes in Donegal that are affected by defective concrete blocks. At the moment, there is nothing in place in Northern Ireland should your home test positive for deleterious materials, there is no planned grant scheme or funding to assist homeowners. If you are one of these homeowners then you should get in touch with us.”
If you have tested your home and discovered levels of pyrite and pyrrhotite, then there is a facility for you to join the High Court legal action in the Republic, he added.
“There is no cost for an affected homeowner to join and all legal costs are being funded by the Defective Blocks Ireland group, funded by Buncrana businessmen Adrian Sheridan and myself.”
Homeowners in Northern Ireland, and holiday home owners based there, can get in touch with the team at Coleman Legal in Dublin by emailing defectiveblocks@colemanlegal.ie