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Irish Independent
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
‘A next-door neighbour's renovation damaged my wall – and now I've rats coming through the cracks'
Your questions answered Today at 21:30 Q I live in an old terraced cottage. On one side, I share a party wall with a property that was vacant for 15 years. In the past few months, someone bought it and hired a contractor to renovate it. I recently heard what sounded like an angle grinder on our party wall. I went up to my attic and noticed whatever work they were doing had dislodged some of the old stonework that makes up my side of the wall. I also noticed evidence of rodents – for the first time since I've owned the home. The rodents appear to have come through new cracks in the party wall, and I've had to throw out the contents of my attic to help clear the infestation. Can I claim against my home insurance for the loss of my belongings and damage to my wall, or should I claim against my new neighbour's insurance or their contractor's insurance? Anne, Co Clare A This is a challenging scenario, particularly as building works beside older terraced properties can have knock-on effects. While it's worth checking your own home insurance policy for any accidental damage cover, most standard home policies exclude damage caused by rodents or issues arising from works carried out on neighbouring properties, unless they directly trigger an insured peril. You should inform your insurer as soon as possible and provide clear evidence – such as photos and receipts, and a report from a builder or surveyor if available. Your insurer can assess if any part of your claim (damage from a sudden event, for instance) is covered. But it's unlikely they'll cover the rodent infestation or gradual damage without 'clear accidental causation', where the cause of damage or loss is clear, straightforward and easily demonstrable. Your best route for recovery may be through your neighbour or, more likely, their building contractor. The contractor's public liability insurance is intended to cover third-party property damage arising from their work. To pursue this, you'd need to demonstrate that their activity directly caused the damage. You could do this by showing that proper structural surveys or protections were not in place, for example. You can also check if any notices were served under the Building Control Regulations or Party Wall Act. This would have been required before work commenced. A solicitor or qualified surveyor can help you document your position. ADVERTISEMENT Even if your own insurer does not cover the loss, they may support you in recovering costs from the third party if negligence is evident. If not, legal advice may be warranted. 'How do I calculate the rebuild cost to insure my €600k period home?' Q I bought a 19th-century country house that I'm nearly finished renovating. I'd estimate it's worth about €600,000 now. But when I looked for insurance and tried calculating the rebuild value of the house using the SCSI (Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland) calculator, I saw the calculator wasn't intended for period homes. How do I get an accurate rebuild value, that will cover period features such as centre roses, ornate coving and wood panelling? Patrick, Co Laois A You're right to question the suitability of standard rebuild calculators for period properties. The SCSI calculator is helpful for modern homes, but it doesn't fully capture the costs of restoring historical features. I'd suggest commissioning a professional reinstatement valuation from a chartered quantity surveyor or building surveyor with experience in heritage buildings. They will give you a reliable rebuild cost that reflects the complexity and materials required to restore the house in event of a major loss. Insurers usually accept such professional valuations as the basis for your building sum insured. It would provide certainty that your policy covers the true cost of reconstruction and reduces the risk of under-insurance, where your claim payout could be reduced proportionally if the declared rebuild value is too low. Home insurance claims are awarded on a pro-rated basis, so if your house is undervalued, insurers will only pay the amount for which you valued your property, leaving you to foot the rest of the bill. Rebuild cost is not the same as market value and is often higher for period homes due to the specialist labour, materials and regulatory compliance involved in restoring historical details. You mention that you've almost finished renovating your house. Be sure your policy fully reflects any higher home rebuild cost that arises on foot of these upgrades. Home insurers should always be notified of any major home improvements. Once you have the valuation, submit it to your broker or provider so they can tailor the policy appropriately and ensure that the buildings sum insured (the most your insurer will pay if your home is damaged or destroyed and needs to be rebuilt) is correct. You should also make sure that the contents sum insured on your policy is correct, too. Dominic Lumsden is a spokesperson for Peopl Insurance. Email your questions to
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Acre of Wicklow agricultural land increased in value by up to 11pc in 2024
A new survey has found that Wicklow agricultural land values increased by up to 11pc in 2024, depending on the size and quality of the land, with an acre of poor and good quality land going for averages of €7,266 and €15,066 respectively. In their new Agricultural Land Market Review and Outlook Report with Teagasc, auctioneer, and valuer members of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) revealed that Wicklow holdings under 50 acres ranged from €8,000 per acre of poor-quality land (down €167 from 2023) to €15,500 for good land (up €667) last year.
Agriland
06-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Listen: AgriFocus - how much will an acre of land cost in 2025?
Listen: AgriFocus – how much will an acre of land cost in 2025? May 6, 2025 5:00 pm In this episode of AgriFocus, Agriland editor, Stella Meehan is joined by Dr. Frank Harrington who is chair of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) Rural Agency Committee and discipline lead of Real Estate and Valuations at TU Dublin. Auctioneers and valuers from the SCSI have said that the outlook for the agricultural land market remains strong for 2025 and they are forecasting that the price of agricultural land nationally will increase by 6% on average this year. In a major report with Teagasc, auctioneer and valuer members of SCSI operating in the agricultural sales and rental market, say average rental prices in 2025 are expected to increase by 7%. Dr. Frank Harrington In Munster, average rental prices are expected to rise by 8% while in Leinster and Connacht/Ulster an increase of 7% is forecast. The average price of non-residential agricultural land in 2024 was €9,900/ac, which is an increase of 7%, up from €9,297 in 2023. Dr. Harrington explains that strong commodity prices and limited supply of land coming onto the market are going to continue to drive land prices.
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Land values boom, but young farmers locked out
Ireland's farmland market is tightening as long-term leasing surges and supply remains low, prompting calls for tax reforms to unlock land for younger farmers. In a new report with Teagasc, auctioneer, and valuer members of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), say average rental prices in 2025 are expected to increase by 7%. Auctioneers and valuers also said they expect land values to rise again, primarily due to better milk prices, strong competition among farmers and investors and recent changes to Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme. This follows a 7% increase in land sale prices, which reached €9,900/ac in 2024. The 2025 Land Market Review and Outlook Report highlighted Central Statistics Office data figures showing that the share of agricultural land sold each year equates to just 0.5% of Ireland's total agricultural area, and this, combined with strong demand for agricultural land, is driving the increase in land prices. The survey found that in 2024, Waterford has the most expensive land in the country, with good quality land on holdings between 50 and 100 acres fetching an average sales price of €23,500/ac. Mayo had the lowest land sales prices in the country at €3,075/ac of poor-quality land on holdings over 100 acres. After Waterford, which also had the most expensive land on holdings under 50 acres at €23,000/ac, comes Kildare at €18,680, with Cork in third place at €17,875, just marginally ahead of Tipperary on €17,865. In Carlow, the average price of good quality land on holdings of less than 50 acres is €17,417/ac, while rounding off the top six places is Meath on €16,890. Dr Frank Harrington, who chairs the SCSI's Rural Agency Committee and Discipline Lead of Real Estate and Valuations at TU Dublin, said the overwhelming response of survey respondents was that the Government should review the tax treatment of agricultural land to entice more land to the market to support the younger generations of farmers. 'Land mobility continues to remain a significant challenge. Our report highlights that policy changes in taxation and financial incentives may be necessary to encourage more land onto the market for sale. More land on the market would assist younger farmers to enter the market, which could also help improve profitability in farming with a scaling up of food production," he said. Teagasc economist Dr Jason Loughrey added: 'Research highlights the need for policies that allow for gradual transitions rather than 'abrupt' retirement, especially given the number of farmers who indicate that they never plan to retire."
Irish Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Our apartment block's managing agent charged above the subcontractor's price for repairs. Is this normal?
I have recently discovered that the managing agent of our block has been uplifting the charge from a subcontractor that they used for repair work. The uplift was not disclosed to the owners' management company (OMC). Is this an acceptable practice or industry norm? In my experience, adding an uplift to subcontractor charges without disclosure is not an industry norm and is not good practice. In general, transparency in service charges is important to maintain trust from property owners. The OMC budget must be agreed each year at a general meeting of members and sets out the basis for billing service charges to owners. In presenting the budget and the charges, transparency is important, so owners understand where their money is going and how it is used. A good part of an agm is normally devoted to going through the detail of the budget and, in my experience of OMCs and agents, the different costs are normally passed on as they are charged and there are no uplifts involved. A professional managing agent must be licensed and must have a letter of agreement with each OMC that they work with. This includes a section on fees payable and this should state clearly what is to be paid to the agent. The letter of agreement would also normally include an annex which lists the specific tasks to be undertaken by the agent. READ MORE Finbar McDonnell: 'If you are on the board of your owners' management company, you should share your concerns with your fellow directors and ask the managing agent for a detailed breakdown of charges applied' On top of the fees set out in the letter of agreement, the agent may be permitted to receive further fees if work arises that is not envisaged by the letter of agreement. For example, the management of a non-routine project might require extra work from the agent. However, any such extra fees would have to be agreed with the OMC board on a case-by-case basis. As such, if you are on the board of your OMC, you should share your concerns with your fellow directors and ask the managing agent for a detailed breakdown of charges applied. You could also query if this arises for any other services and set out the requirement of the board for full transparency on all fees. You could also review the existing letter of engagement and look to amend this if required and you could decide as a board if you wish to take the matter further. If you are not on the OMC board, you could submit your query in writing to the agent. If you are not satisfied with the response, you could ask for details of the OMC directors and ask them to follow up on your behalf. You will also be able to raise the matter with the agent and with the directors at the next agm of the company. Finbar McDonnell is a chartered property manager and a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland Do you have a query? Email propertyquestions@ This column is a readers' service. The content of the Property Clinic is provided for general information only. It is not intended as advice on which readers should rely. Professional or specialist advice should be obtained before people take or refrain from any action on the basis of the content. The Irish Times and it contributors will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any content
