Tallaght family of four living in ‘horrific’ conditions
By Mary Dennehy
A FAMILY-of-four has been left living in “uninhabitable” conditions caused by a 16-month leak in the roof of their apartment block.
Wesam Abdulwahab lives with his wife Magda and their two young children in a top floor apartment that they bought three years ago in the Tuansgate complex in Belgard Square.
In 2014, Wesam, who works in Dell, reported a leak in the ceiling of his bathroom to the apartment block’s management company, which addressed the issue.
However, in May 2016, the leak in the bathroom returned, with water now dripping through the ceiling in the main bedroom too – resulting in Wesam and Magda sleeping in the living room.
“I am really concerned for the health and safety of my children”, Wesam told The Echo.
“Our home is very damp and when it rains the leaks get worse and we’re coming into the winter.
“The leak in the main bedroom is also where the electrics are so we don’t switch on anything in the bathroom or the bedroom in case of sparking.
“I am not a structural engineer but a constant leak like this over a long period of time could also result in the ceiling collapsing.”
He added: “The management company keeps telling me that they are coming out but nothing is happening.
“I have rang everywhere looking for help, local TDs, the housing minister, Citizens’ Information Centre, the ESB, the Health and Safety Authority, the list goes on, but nobody can help me.
“There really is nowhere to turn, no regulator, no one to represent the homeowner.
“I have been living in Ireland ten years now and I pay my taxes, but there is no help for me in this situation.”
Wesam is paying annual management fees of €1,914 however, due to the issue with the roof he told The Echo that he has not paid his fees for 2017 as of yet.
Solidarity TD for Dublin South West Paul Murphy told The Echo that he believes there is an underlying issue with the legislation that governs estate management companies, which can leave families like Wesam’s in difficult situations if the companies run out of money or experience other issues.
“The conditions Wesam’s family is facing are horrific”, Deputy Murphy said.
“There is an underlying issue about the legislation governing estate management companies.
“However, the immediate issue is that the management company has to accept that it is inhuman to allow an apartment under its control to be effectively uninhabitable.
“They should immediately fix the leak. I have been in touch with the company, who assured me that the leak would be fixed quickly.
“Unfortunately that still hasn’t happened. I will be raising Wesam’s case in the Dail if the leak isn’t fixed in the next few days.”
The Echo called the property management company responsible for Tuansgate but they declined to comment at this time.
