Limerick homeowners face battle over pyrite home repair costs

HUNDREDS of homeowners across Limerick are living with the constant fear of their house falling in on them, it’s been claimed.

A new group has been set up to support people in Limerick whose homes have been hit by pyrite.

And the chair of the group, Olivia Shiel, thinks what they are experiencing is “the tip of the iceberg” and there are many more people impacted who might not realise it yet.

Pyrite can cause huge cracks to form in homes which were built with these type of blocks.

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More than 50 people were at a meeting of the Limerick Defective Concrete Blocks Action Group, set up to help homeowners secure compensation if their home is hit by pyrite.

And they have appealed for people across Limerick whose homes may be impacted to come forward and join the group, which met at the Our Lady of Lourdes Community Centre on the southside last week.

Signs of pyrite in homes may not be visible to someone living there for many years.

Mum-of-one Olivia bought her city centre home in 2016, and only discovered it was beginning to show cracks in 2022.

Her home was built in 1991.

“I initially thought I had a subsidence issue and I got an engineer out. An hour later, I was being told my house would need to be fully demolished,” she said.

She admitted she “cried for days” when she was told of the pyrite issue.

“I have worked so hard to buy my home. I bought it on my own at the time. I had this huge sense of safety and security I owned my home. And that has all been taken from me. Now I have a child and a dog, and there are no houses to rent. Where do we go,” she asked.

In a double blow, Olivia has been told the redress scheme put in place by Government will not cover the full costs of demolition - and there are a number of limitations around claiming from the scheme.

One person at the meeting said that despite being covered on the Government scheme, he would need to find €30,000 for additional costs.

The group is planning meetings with Limerick’s local TDs following the election.

For more information and to join the group, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/781940992683492