Key elements of building rules ‘not yet in place’

The Royal Institute of Architects Ireland has said new building regulations which come into force today are being introduced before key aspects have been addressed.

According to the Department of the Environment, the regulations, introduced under the Building Control Amendment Regulations 2013, “set out to prevent the future re-occurrence of poorly constructed dwellings, pyrite damage and structures breaching fire regulations left as a legacy of a poorly regulated housing boom”.

At the heart of the new regulations is a requirement for a registered architect, building surveyor, or chartered engineer to act as an assigned certifier and inspect building works at key stages during construction.

That assigned certifier, along with the builder, must then certify that a finished building complies with the requirements of the building regulations.

In recent days, concern has been expressed that firstly the new regulations will prevent members of the public from self-building their own project, and secondly, that it will significantly increase the cost of completing projects.

For its part, RIAI said that it fully supports better building standards that would be the best possible system in the interests of the consumer.

However, it is concerned that:

nThere is a lack of appropriate independent oversight to support those tasked with compliance.

nThere is an absence of mandatory project insurance. RIAI says that insurance is in line with international best practice and that if issues arise in building construction and building failure, the insurance makes it much easier for the consumer to get redress.

nThere has been an inadequate timescale in the run-up to today’s introduction to ensure the supporting systems and documentation are in place.

That led the RIAI to recently call for a deferral of the new regulations.

The institute has also warned the public that the new roles will increase the “time involvement” of professionals by “30% to 50%” depending on the nature of the project, thereby increasing the cost.

While RIAI did not put a monetary value on that increase, the Department of the Environment has quoted industry sources who suggest the requirement will “typically cost” between €1,000 and €3,000 more per housing unit than previously.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan said that was a “small price to pay for a home that might cost €100,000 to €150,000”.

“All this exaggeration about €40,000 to €50,000 and that direct labour [self-build] is going to be banned as a result of this is absolute nonsense,” he said.

He said people who want to self-build can still do so as there had been no change in the relevant act.

“This is about restoring consumer confidence in construction as an industry,” he said. “The new regulations are a major step forward and will for the first time give home-owners clarity, traceability, and accountability at all stages of the building process. They will provide consumers with protection they deserve.”