Housing Insights

With nearly a quarter of a million Irish households living in apartments, multi-unit developments (MUDs) like apartments play an increasingly vital role in Ireland’s housing system. Host Roslyn Molloy sits down with David Rouse and Lisa Marie Sheehy from The Housing Agency’s MUDs team to explain how MUDs and apartments are managed. The conversation explores the mechanics of owners' management companies (OMCs), service charges, sinking funds, legacy construction defects, supports available, and the potential shape of MUDs regulation in Ireland in the future.

 

Key Discussion Points

MUDs & OMC Basics: Explaining how managed estates like apartments function, distinguishing between the non-profit OMC (controlled by property owners) and the contracted Property Management Agent handling daily operations.

Sinking Funds & Financial Health: Highlighting the legal requirement for long-term building investment reserve funds (or sinking funds) to cover major capital replacements like lifts or roofs, alongside common challenges with under-funding and fee collection.

Emerging Challenges & Legacy Defects: Addressing legacy construction defects, the remediation pathways available via The Housing Agency, and retrofitting existing developments for EV charging and other energy saving measures.

Resources & Policy Outlook: Signposting The Housing Agency's training, regional outreach meetings, and MUD Matters newsletter aimed at volunteer directors of OMCs, while considering potential upcoming legislative reform, to transfer MUDs oversight to the Department of Housing.

 

Resources & Links

Housing Agency MUD Matters Newsletter: MUD Matters Newsletter
- The Housing Agency

Housing Agency – Multi-Unit Developments / Managed Estates: www.housingagency.ie/housing-information/multi-unit-developments-managed-estates/

The Housing Agency YouTube channel, MUDs Playlists:

Information and Guidance Webinars for Multi-Unit Developments / Apartments

Multi-Unit Developments Training Series

Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA): www.psr.ie

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Grants: www.seai.ie

How do we meet Ireland’s housing needs while protecting our natural environment? Host Roslyn Molloy sits down with Susan Vickers (Clúid Housing) and Haley Curran (The Housing Agency) to discuss integrating biodiversity into housing developments. The episode highlights Clúid’s Landscaping and Biodiversity Guide and a resident-led project in Ballygraigue Court, Co. Tipperary, showing how nature-based solutions and community co-design enhance local environments and resident well-being.

Key Discussion Points

The Biodiversity Imperative: Addressing Ireland's biodiversity crisis by designing housing developments that build climate resilience against flooding and overheating.

Clúid’s Practical Guide: Overview of Clúid Housing's 60-page Landscaping and Biodiversity Guide, created with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to guide developers and planners.

Ballygree Court Case Study: How residents in an 81-home estate transformed a green lawn into a community space featuring a poly-tunnel, sensory area, orchard, and 6,000 wildflower bulbs on a €12,000 budget.

Challenges & Support: Navigating funding and ongoing maintenance while leveraging local resources like Biodiversity Officers, Tidy Towns, and Trees on the Land.

Resources & Links

The Housing Agency: www.housingagency.ie

Clúid Housing: www.cluid.ie

All-Ireland Pollinator Plan: www.pollinators.ie

Trees on the Land: www.treesontheland.com

How does Housing First transform lives and break the cycle of entrenched homelessness? Host Roslyn Molloy introduces Rob Lowth (National Director of Housing First, The Housing Agency) and Housing First tenant John for a powerful conversation. Drawing from his lived experience of youth homelessness, addiction, and incarceration, John shares his journey to securing a permanent home, highlighting the vital role of wrap-around support services, personal purpose, and compassionate frontline workers.

Key Discussion Points

The Housing First Model: A joint person-centred initiative by the Department of Housing and Department of Health across all 31 local authorities, offering immediate housing with intensive, multi-disciplinary wrap-around supports.

Understanding the Journey into Homelessness: John’s candid reflection on becoming homeless at age 17, navigating rough sleeping, emergency hostels, and deep-seated addiction.

Turning Points & Rock Bottom: Overcoming personal loss, addiction struggles, and health crises, culminating in a three-week detox in Beaumont and moving into his Housing First tenancy.

The Power of Permanent Housing: Transitioning from the insecurity of emergency accommodation to finding stability, dignity, self-worth, and a sense of belonging in his forever home.

Consistency & Future Outlook: The critical importance of continuous support from dedicated care workers, maintaining a strong work ethic, finding personal purpose, and rebuilding family relationships.

Resources & Links

The Housing Agency – Housing First: housingagency.ie

Simon Community: www.simon.ie

Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI): www.mqi.ie

About 1 in 10 Irish households live in social housing, which provides below-market rental homes based on a tenant's ability to pay. Host David Silke sits down with Patrick McCarthy (Head of Local Authority and AHB Services, Housing Agency) to unpack the social housing process in Ireland. The episode covers the difference between social housing and cost rental, eligibility criteria, the application process, Choice-Based Lettings (CBL), the differential rent system, and tenant responsibilities.

Key Discussion Points

Social Housing Basics: Defining social housing, how it differs from cost rental, and the various delivery streams including Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), RAS, and HAP.

Eligibility & Application Process: How to apply through your local authority, establishing local connection links (family, work, education), and the importance of submitting a fully completed application with supporting documentation.

Allocation Systems & Choice-Based Lettings (CBL): How homes are allocated via local authority allocation schemes and how Choice-Based Lettings allow applicants to proactively bid on advertised properties to potentially speed up housing.

Differential Rent & Income Changes: Understanding how rents are calculated based on net household income and why tenants must report any income or household changes immediately.

Moving In & Tenant Responsibilities: What to expect when taking up a tenancy, managing initial setup costs (including DSP Additional Needs Payments), and adhering to tenancy agreements and house rules.

Resources & Links

The Housing Agency: www.housingagency.ie

Citizens Information – Social Housing: citizensinformation.ie

Department of Social Protection – Additional Needs Payment: gov.ie

In this episode of Housing Insights, David Silke is joined by Darren Hudson, National Tenant Engagement Manager at Respond and Chair of the Irish Tenant Engagement Network (ITEN).

Darren shares his journey from youth development to national housing
management, offering a unique perspective on why viewing tenants as partners, rather than just "customers", is the key to building sustainable communities.

Key Discussion Points

Defining Engagement: Moving beyond "transactional" housing to an "everyday" practice of relationship building.

Formal vs. Informal Participation: From community fun days and "cosy farms" to structured regional panels and board-level representation.

The Proactive Shift: Why the sector is moving from "crisis managing" groups of tenants to introducing engagement at the very start of a tenancy.

Global Context: How Ireland compares to leaders like Scotland and the Nordic countries, where tenant-run boards have existed for decades.

Regulatory Standards: The impact of AHBRA (Approved Housing Body Regulatory Authority) in making tenant engagement a formal standard for housing providers.

Success Stories:

The Respond Roundup: How tenants took over the editorial control of their newsletter to share real human stories.

Empty Homes Policy: Renaming "voids" and involving tenants in assessing properties before they are re-let.

Service Improvement Groups: Turning around heated relationships through transparency and long-term maintenance planning.

 

Useful Links & Resources

Organizations & Networks

Respond

Irish Tenant Engagement Network (ITEN)

Approved Housing Body Regulatory Authority (AHBRA)

 

Research & Reports

Best Practice in Tenant Engagement (Just Economics)

Developing a Tenant Engagement Culture (Housing Agency)

Tuath Housing: Embedding a Culture of Tenant Engagement

 

For Tenants

If you are a tenant looking to get involved, your first point of contact is your Housing Officer or your provider’s dedicated Tenant Engagement Team.