Dublin City Council has been accused of leaving its flat complexes behind when it comes to retrofitting, as figures show that just 17% of units have received upgrades to windows, doors and heating systems.
It has prompted calls for local authority tenants who have problems with living conditions to be brought under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).
It comes as a recent study found that 65% of residents of one south inner-city complex say their living conditions are impacting their mental and physical health.
81-year-old Anthony Doonan has lived in Emmet Buildings in the shadow of St James's Gate in Dublin's south inner city for 30 years.
He loves the neighbourhood and the community but believes the declining condition of the flat complex is contributing to his health problems including COPD.
"There are years and years of deferred maintenance problems that have built up and that means that it's very difficult to go in and retrofit them"
"You can feel the draught come. It's very cold, with just single glazed windows. I can feel it in my breathing, and it does have an effect on me. I can get chest infections quite easy. The house gets cold even when the heat's been on because the draft coming in the windows and the front door."
Research from Maynooth University found that 90% of residents in Emmet Buildings have issues related to damp, mould and high energy costs, along with old and faulty windows and heating systems.
65% say that it is having a negative impact on their mental and physical health.
One of the researchers behind the study, Fiadh Tubridy, says these issues are not unique to this complex and that when it comes to retrofitting, Dublin City Council's 10,400 flats are being left behind.
"There is some funding there for retrofitting, that's mostly been allocated to upgrading houses rather than flats. There's been almost no progress with improving conditions in flat complexes and that's for a range of different reasons, including because progress with retrofitting is tied into regeneration programs and there's been a lot of issues with funding and progressing these large-scale regeneration schemes.
"It is a bit more technically complex to upgrade flat complexes, because it's not just like an individual house that can be wrapped and insulated all at once.
"As well as that, there are years and years of deferred maintenance problems that have built up and that means that it's very difficult to go in and retrofit them. Because there's no point whacking in insulation or new doors and windows if there's water coming through the roof."
Dublin City Council figures show that just 17% of its flats have had windows, doors, heating or external insulation upgrades, and now there are calls for these tenants to have further recourse.
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan says he wants to see all council tenants come under the remit of the RTB.
"The real concern I have is that in the private sector if you have a problem with rat infestation, leaking, damp, mould, that you can make your case to the Residential Tenancies Board, an independent body that will investigate your complaint. But if you have a complaint in relation to your local authority house, the council will say you make it to them.
"If you're not happy with our response, you can go to the Ombudsman, which is a very, very long process, and eventually, if you're not happy with that, you can go to the courts, which is a very, very expensive process.
"That's not good enough for our public housing tenants, so my call is take up the call from the Housing Commission, which strongly recommend that all tenants, be they public or private, would have access to equality, independence and be able to pursue their concerns with the Residential Tenancies Board.
"We all know we have a housing crisis, but it is not good enough to try and attempt to house social tenants in unfit accommodation and accommodation that would not be accepted in the private sector."
Dublin City Council is the largest landlord in the State, and it says half of its 205 flat complexes were built between 1930 and 1977.
It says it addresses concerns about maintenance where possible and within its available resources, and that it is in the process of developing a more planned approach to maintenance.
The council says, as part of its ongoing energy efficiency programme at the end of 2024, 8,057 units had received phase one upgrades including cavity fill insulation, attic insulation and cylinder lagging while 1,721 had been upgraded with heat pumps, external wall insulation, upgraded windows, doors and attic insulation.
Work was completed last year on the Canon Burke complex.
Dublin City Council say they currently have several housing projects onsite, at Dorset Street, Glin Court and St Finbar's Court and new homes are being delivered on Dublin City Council land with the support of the Land Development Agency and other private partners at St. Teresa's Gardens, Cromcastle, Oscar Traynor Road and O'Devaney Gardens (Montpellier) supported by our delivery partners the LDA and private partners.
The first phase of redevelopment of Constitution Hill Phase 1 will also begin this summer.
Other regeneration projects currently in the pipeline include Glover Court, Oliver Bond House, Pearse House, Dolphin House, School Street, St Andrew's Court, St Anne's Court and Matt Talbot Court.
While the proposals for Oliver Bond House and Pearse House will include the deep retrofitting of the current housing blocks alongside infill new build, the plans for Dolphin House, St Andrews Court, St Anne's Court and Matt Talbot Court involve the demolition of the existing flats and the construction of new homes.
At Glover Court and School Street proposals consist of both newbuild and deep retrofitting and extension of existing housing blocks.
The council says tenants with problems can contact their Maintenance Section individually or make collective representations via their elected representatives.
In the meantime, residents of Emmet Buildings like Anthony Doonan continue to wait: "I love it here, you know, and I know all my neighbours and that. And if they done the houses up and insulated them properly and give new windows to the people, it'd be a lot easier. So really, what they need to do is upgrade these houses to the right standards."
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