Multi-unit developments (MUDs) are estates where an owners’ management company, or OMC for short, is responsible for maintaining shared facilities such as gardens, amenity spaces, halls, corridors, and parking. These managed estates are often apartment buildings or duplexes. They can also be townhouses or stand-alone houses that share common facilities. The quality and the sustainability of the built environment enjoyed by these communities rely on well-run OMCs.

With the increasing number of apartments across the country, The Housing Agency is holding evening information meetings for stakeholders, including residents, owners, and directors of OMCs.

The meetings will cover:

• Challenges faced by OMCs & managed estates
• Roles and responsibilities
• Resources available
   

Events will be held at:

Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9  - Wednesday, 11 September

Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal - Wednesday, 18 September 

Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise, Co. Laois - Wednesday, 25 September

The Ellison Hotel, Castlebar, Co. Mayo - Wednesday, 2 October 

Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa, Killarney, Co. Kerry - Wednesday, 9 October 

Glenview Hotel and Leisure Club, Delgany, Co. Wicklow - Wednesday, 16th October 

The Tower Hotel and Leisure Centre, Waterford City - Wednesday 23, October 

How to attend – registration required

Attendance places, while free of charge, are limited. 

Registration is required.

Please register by clicking on your preferred location above.

This will lead you to the Eventbrite ticketing website, where you can book your free place.

You can register also by email, to MUD@housingagency.ie

Evening Programme

6:45pm     Registration (tea/coffee provided)
7pm          Presentation from The Housing Agency
7:45pm     Q&A
8:30pm     Closes

Information and resources for OMCs and MUDs are available on the Agency’s website.

Information in relation to the remediation of defects in apartments and duplexes is available here.

Previous outreach events took place in:

• Cork International Hotel, Airport Business Park | 14 November 2023
• Clayton Hotel, Galway | 7 November 2023
• South Court Hotel, Limerick | 24 October 2023
• Carlton Hotel, Blanchardstown | 12 October 2023
• Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan | 10 October 2023
• Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone | 28 November 2022
• Glenroyal Hotel & Leisure Club, Maynooth | 22 November 2022
• Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club, Drogheda | 15 November 2022
• Chartered Accountants House, Dublin 2 | 8 November 2022
• Clayton Hotel, Sligo | 25 October 2022
• Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan | 4 March 2020
• Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick | 26 February 2020
• Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Cork | 19 February 2020
• Lord Bagenal, Leighlinbridge | 12 February 2020
• Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport | 5 February 2020
• Red Cow Moran Hotel, Dublin | 29 January 2020
• Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown | 15 January 2020
• Clayton Hotel, Galway | 4 December 2019
• Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross | 27 November 2019

PRESS STATEMENT

Thursday, 11th July 2024

Bob Jordan to step down as Housing Agency CEO

The Housing Agency has today (11.07.24) announced that its current CEO, Bob Jordan, will be stepping down from his role with effect from the end of September. Mr. Jordan joined the Agency as CEO in 2021. He recently informed the organisation’s Board of his decision to resign.

Commenting today, Michael Carey, Chair of the Board of The Housing Agency, said: “Bob Jordan has made an enormous contribution to Ireland’s housing sector over the past 20 years, in both his work with The Housing Agency and in previous roles in the public and charity sectors.

“During his tenure, Bob has led The Housing Agency through significant growth and change. Particular highlights include his work to address affordability, including the rollout of cost rental as a new tenure in Ireland. He has also brought our current three-year strategy to completion and helped shape the development of a new strategic plan to be published in the coming months.

“Bob’s commitment to social inclusion and sustainable communities is very much embedded in the Agency’s vision. We thank him for his excellent leadership over the past three years and wish him the very best now as he moves on from this role.”

Mr. Carey said a recruitment process will now begin to identify Mr. Jordan’s successor.

ENDS

Contact: Sorcha MacMahon, Alice Public Relations, Tel: 087-758 5337

Email: media@alicepr.com

Notes to Editors:

About The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency supports the development of sustainable communities across Ireland. It works to meet the nation’s housing needs by:

• Co-ordinating programmes that can transform how we live. 
• Providing technical support to accelerate the delivery of housing projects.
• Using data and research to provide evidence-based solutions.
• Advising the Government on housing policies.
• Collaborating with all those involved in the housing sector in Ireland to ensure we are working as effectively as possible. 

A State-funded body, The Housing Agency works mainly with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and non-profit housing providers.

Follow The Housing Agency on:

X: @HousingAgencyIE

LinkedIn: @HousingAgencyIE

Facebook: @HousingAgencyIE

To read Mr Jordan's letter of resignation, click here - letter of resignation. 

The 2024 Housing Practitioners' Conference took place in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, on Thursday, 25 April and Friday, 26 April 2024.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien T.D., opened the conference which involved a day and a half of expert speakers and workshops discussing best practice and policy on housing.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Opportunities for Sustainable Housing”. It involved a mix of plenary sessions and workshops with sessions covering 'Progress Delivery and Future Opportunities', ‘Vacant Homes: Opportunities for Collaboration’, ‘Funding Opportunities’, and ‘Opportunities for a Sustainable Future’.

You can read our conference report and view our highlights reel from the event here.

Conference Report 

Highlights Reel 

The Housing Agency is delighted to launch its Housing Education Bursary Scheme for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Recent years have seen significant developments in the areas of housing delivery and policy. Housing professionals will play a key role in shaping future developments in the sector. The Housing Agency is committed to supporting the education, training, and development of housing practitioners, as well as those interested in developing a career in housing. The Housing Education Bursary Scheme will empower housing professionals to build resilient and sustainable communities in Ireland.

The Bursary Scheme supports students and housing professionals seeking to enrol in housing studies courses offered by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) / Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), starting between September 2024 and January 2025. These include:

How to apply

The bursary awards are intended to support those who would otherwise be unable to secure funding for the full course fees from their organisation or other sources. 

Applicants can apply by downloading and completing the Bursary Application Form, and returning it as a PDF to training@housingagency.ie by the closing date/s outlined above.

April  

• On 11th April, €100m in funding was announced for almost 550 new affordable cost rental homes. The funding announced will provide for developments in Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny, Cork City and Dublin City. 

• The commencement data for Q1 2024 was released and shows that 11,956 homes were commenced in the first three months of 2024, up 63% on the same period in 2023. In the last twelve months (April 2023 to March 2024), 37,408 units were commenced, up 37% on the prior twelve months. 

• The Homeless Report for March 2024 was published and found that 13,866 people were accessing emergency accommodation during the week 25-31 March 2024.  

• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage published the Housing for All Q1 2024 Update report. Key updates include the extension of waiver on development levy, 12,000 homes started construction in Q1 2024, 4,376 applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, and additional €40m in state funding committed to the First Home Scheme.  

May 

• On 22nd May, the Housing Commission published its report, including its overall review of Ireland’s housing system, together with a number of reports in relation to the wording of a referendum on housing.  

• Under the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme (THRIVE), twenty-six town centres were awarded funding of up to €200,000 each. This funding was awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes.  

• The Homeless Report for April 2024 was published and found that 14,009 people were accessing emergency accommodation during the week 22nd – 28th April 2024.  

June  

• The Homeless Report for March 2024 was published and found that 13,866 people were accessing emergency accommodation during the week 25-31 March 2024.  

• On 5th June, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD today announced that he received Government approval for a Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan (LAPR). The loan, which is an expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, will support both the purchase and renovation of homes which are eligible under the existing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant 

• Under the third call for the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), more than 1,200 vacant and derelict properties have been identified and approved under the scheme. The residential yield from these properties is 5,406 homes.  

• €93 million has been allocated to local authorities for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People.  

• The Build 2024 Construction Sector Performance and Capacity Report was published, showing there were over 41,000 planning permissions for housing units in 2023 and 17,601 homes were upgraded to a BER rating of B2 or above in 2023, an increase of 108% relative to 2022. 

Relevant publications  

• The Housing Agency – Policy Insight Series Issue 4 – Office-to-Residential Conversions: Case studies from Tuath Housing – 4th April 2024 

• DHLGH - Domestic Violence Refuge Accommodation - Project Brief Design Guidelines 2024- 1st May 2024 

• ESRI – Household Size in Ireland: Stylised facts and cross country trends – 1st May 2024   

• ESRI - How do EMN Member States ensure systems for housing International Protection Applicants are ‘flexible’? – 3rd May 2024  

• Simon Communities - Under the Radar: Unveiling Hidden Homelessness Across the Island of Ireland - Simon Communities in Ireland – 16th May 2024 

The Research Summer Series is back for 2024! On June 18th, the first of The Housing Agency’s Research Summer Series of webinars will discuss Housing Choices for a Sustainable Future. This sessions speakers are Martin Colreavy, Senior Adviser, Strategic Delivery and Urban Advisory, at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Philip Comerford, Independent Architect, Housing and Urban Infill, at Philip Comerford Architects, Dublin.

The summer series will bring together housing practitioners, academics and public servants to discuss housing research. The webinar will be of particular interest to architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, housing practitioners and policymakers.

You can register for the webinar here – Housing Choices for a Sustainable Future Tickets, Tue, Jun 18, 2024 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

Martin Colreavy will discuss innovation and efficiencies in the design of affordable housing, featuring case studies from Ireland and the EU. The presentation will explore key topics within the current landscape of affordable housing and discuss how affordable housing can be effectively delivered through innovation in construction and design.

Philip Comerford will discuss the whole life-cycle carbon emissions of different dwelling types found in Ireland. He will provide an examination of the climate impacts of housing and explore how policy goals and housing choices can create low energy and climate resilient sustainable communities.

The Housing Agency has today launched the call for applications to the 2024 Research Support Programme. 

The Research Support Programme funds research responding to topical housing issues that have the potential to impact housing policy and practice. 

You can find more information here - https://www.housingagency.ie/Funding-Opportunities

If you would like to receive updates and details about the call for applications for the Research Support Programme please email researchsupport@housingagency.ie 

The National Study of Housing Experiences, Attitudes and Aspirations in Ireland - Residential Satisfaction Report 2023 has been launched. 

The study measures householders’ satisfaction levels with their homes and neighbourhoods and investigates their aspirations for future housing.

The national study commenced its first wave in 2018, the second wave was conducted in 2019 and the third took place during pandemic restrictions in 2020.

The report presents the findings of a nationally representative survey of 1,212 householders in Ireland and qualitative focus groups, with a further 47 householders as part of the fourth wave of the National Study of Housing Experiences, Attitudes and Aspirations in Ireland.

You can read the report below:

National Study of Housing Experiences, Attitudes and Aspirations in Ireland

National Study of Housing Experiences, Attitudes and Aspirations in Ireland  - Accessible version

Access the conference brochure and workshops brochure below:

• Conference brochure    
• Workshop brochure

The 2024 Housing Practitioners' Conference will take place in the Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, on Thursday, 25 April and Friday, 26 April 2024 (half day). 

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien T.D., will open the conference which will involve a day and a half of expert speakers and workshops discussing best practice and policy on housing.

The theme of this year’s conference will be “Opportunities for Sustainable Housing”. It will involve a mix of plenary sessions and workshops. Sessions will cover 'Progress Delivery and Future Opportunities', ‘Vacant Homes: Opportunities for Collaboration’, ‘Funding Opportunities’, and ‘Opportunities for a Sustainable Future’.

Registration for the conference is via the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) website - Housing Practitioners' Conference (ipa.ie).