Limerick residents told they do not own driveways

Little did they realise when they set up a mortgage for their €270k three-bed semi seven years ago that they could be heading for a legal battle for the very driveways to their homes.

Yet that’s the situation that Ariri Alwi and his wife — along with more than 50 other families — who have been told they aren’t the owners of what they thought were their own driveways.

Alwi is one of the residents at Kilteragh, Dooradoyle who received letters from the land registry office along with folio maps informing him that an error took place in the registration of their title deeds.

He and his wife, a consultant at Limerick University Hospital, have three young children.

He said: “It is very upsetting. We are shocked as we never thought anything like this would happen. Like all the other residents we had proper maps showing our property.”

Ariri spent yesterday going from door to door getting neighbours to sign a petition.

They have called a meeting of residents next Tuesday night at the South Court Hotel.

Some of the residents have contacted their own solicitors and they are also considering getting one overall legal adviser.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said they were all under pressure due to the inflated price they paid for their houses seven years ago.

“To think they now want to take the front areas of houses off us makes it all the more painful. We all have our deeds with site maps which were thoroughly vetted by engineers, solicitors, and the banks who gave us the mortgages. We will fight this all the way with the Property Registration Authority. It’s a bit rich of them to come along seven years on and say they have made an error in their maps.”

Residents have been given 21 days to object to the authority’s move to alter their property site maps. The authority said the residents must state grounds for objections they make.

Cllr Joe Leddin, who works for Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan said: “The (Property Registration) letters stated that residents only had 21 days to reply or object as it was proposed to take their driveways off them. These residents bought their homes at inflated prices which also included their driveways as per original folio maps attached to each of their properties. Because their estates have yet to be taken in charge by Limerick City and County Council they also have been paying an annual management charge of €250.”

What has happened, he said, is nothing short of a scandal.

“The residents are determined to resist any attempt to take the driveways that are clearly shown to be theirs on the original documents provided when they purchased there houses,” he said.

He said the residents now want the Limerick County and City Council to ‘take in charge’ the estate — removing the need to pay annual management charges.

Mr Leddin said: “The residents certainly will not agree to the paying of a lifetime annual charge for the privilege of parking their cars. I will be seeking an immediate enquiry by senior council planners as to the terms of the original planning permission granted and I will be supporting the residents every step of the way to fight this blatant injustice. I have to ask why is there now an attempt to change individual folio maps after more than seven years so as to extract further monies out of hard-pressed home owners.”

Cllr James Collins said what is happening in Kilteragh highlights issues regarding management companies which are paid by residents.

Kilteragh is located adjacent to the Crescent Shopping Centre.

It is also the estate where Garryowen rugby player Shane Geoghegan was murdered when he was mistaken for a drugs figure who had moved into the estate.