‘I’m fighting this for my mother’

A loving daughter is appealing to City Hall to sell her the home her family have lived in for 80 years as maggots and rodents have infested the property. Visible mould and rot is also present.

The daughter, who lives with her mother and brother in a council-owned house in Farranree, says her family have been waiting years for work to be carried out on the house, including the fixing of a gas fire. Other works that need to be carried out include the filling in of holes as mice and rats are able to enter the home through them, ridding the house of “a maggot infestation” and removing damp and mould in some rooms.

There’s cracks in the plaster in some rooms and she said the stench of sewage can be present at the back of the home when it rains.

Other works that she says badly need to be done, amount to about €30,000, according to quotes she has sought.

She said: “I’m fighting this for my mother, who is retiring to a house with multiple repair issues.”

She continued: “I could help fix it, if it were our home, but the repairs fall under the responsibility of Cork City Council. 
“My mother, brother and I grow weaker as the house disintegrates. 
“My mother has worked her entire life to keep this house standing,” she said.
The woman says that in the past 20 years, her and her family have paid out more than €50,000 on carrying out works on the house to make it livable. 
She would be willing to pay the €30,000 repair bill if Cork City Council were to sell her the home.
 “It seems Cork City Council want the income but don’t want the responsibilities that come with being a landlord,” she said. 
She also said she has been dealing with City Hall on several of the matters, and when she realised it would take a long time to get some of the issues addressed, she decided she would buy the house from the council. However this request was denied. 
“I was told Cork City Council relinquish properties when the site is in a derelict condition. 
“My home would be in a derelict state if it were not for my family paying for urgent repairs over the years.”
The woman added: “I was told Cork City Council still sees my house as an asset. But (I see it) as an asset that’s in a terrible condition.”
The daughter, who wishes to stay anonymous, is dealing with the council on behalf of her mother and met recently with the Cork Independent in the home. 
Her father died 20 years ago and she said that it was a shame that his life assurance went on fixing repairs in the house rather than to his children and wife.
She concluded: “My father almost signed the papers to agree to buy this home before he sadly passed away and I want to honour him also by keeping this house in our family but, as I said, I am mainly doing this for my mother.”
Cork City Council was contacted and given details about the issues, which the Cork Independent understands that it is aware of and working on, however an official was unavailable for comment as of going to print yesterday.