Delay on repairs to council house damaged in fire

A council tenant from the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area whose house went on fire last October still does not know when she will be able to return to her accomodation. She is currently living in unsuitable temporary accomodation – there is no cooker – with her 12 year old son. She is six months pregnant. No repair work has begun on her house yet.

On 18 October 2005, a fire originated in the hallway at Tracey O'Brien's newly built house in Meadowlands in Monkstown. Most of the contents of the house were destroyed and any belongings that were saved are now boarded inside the house. Tracey is unable to get to them. No cause for the fire has been established yet, but the council has acknowledged that it was not caused by Tracey or her son; they said, "It appears to have originated from at the fusebox."

Tracey will not be compensated for the loss of her furniture or belongings even if the fire was caused by an electrical fault. This is due to a clause in her tenancy which says that she is responsible for any damage to furniture.

Richard Boyd Barrett, a local Socialist Worker's Party representative says: "This is very shoddy and unfair treatment of Tracey and her son by the Council. It is completely ridiculous that Tracey should be left stranded in limbo for six months and has to suffer a major financial loss because of a fire that was not her fault but resulted from a faulty fuse box. Landlords and local authorities have a responsibility to ensure electrical wiring is not a fire hazard."

Dun Loaghaire-Rathdown County Council said that they are currently trying to appoint a contractor to carry out repair works and until that happens they won't know when she can return. They also said that tenants have responsibility for the insurance of the contents of their houses and are made aware of that.

Emma Browne