Breaking of Windows and other forms of Hooliganism
Barca,
For what my advice is worth to you, you should not hesitate to call the Gardai to report such people as you observe causing damage, and you should report it to the Managing Agent also. When I was a Director of the Management Company, we estimated that about € 10,000 per annum was being generated in Avoidable Costs prior to 2008, and at least since 2005, arising out of damage caused by such Hooliganism. Put that another way - that is about € 60 per Owner per annum.
Because the Perpetrators of such damage were not tracked down - such as in the instance you refer to - then all Apartment Owners were paying for the actions of a few Hooligans - this at a time when Owners were already complaining that Service Charges were too high. Things have improved quite a bit since the CCTV System was implemented - eg, we immediately knew who caused € 16,000 of damage to the Gate in 2008 - but even so, it is still really important that every Resident 'takes ownership' of reporting such Incidents to both the Gardai and the Managing Agent, because no CCTV System covering such a large area as the Grattan Wood Campus will ever give a 100% Coverage Footprint, 100% of the time.
In contrast to the view of your Friend, "Mackman", I do not post on this website to "Lecture" anyone, but rather to correct some misinformation and incorrect perceptions which are evident here, and also to offer my advice, based on my experience of running the Management Company for 3 years. Also, each Apartment Owner - each Company Member - has the right to offer its input to the Management Company, and also to intervene with Incidents such as the one you observed. And indeed, Tenants can do likewise, although Tenants have no Contractual Relationship with the Management Company.
Even as an ordinary Company Member, I will continue to offer my own advice to the Management Company when I believe that they are doing things which are not in the general good, and my advice is also available to any Resident at Grattan Wood - Owner or Tenant - as I believe that if people are well-informed, then the Quality of Living at our Development will benefit as a result - certainly, I don't want to see the 'Lunatics running the Asylum' again, such as was the case up until 2007, when Hooliganism at Grattan Wood was out of control. Hopefully, most Residents will agree that thinigs are generally much better now.
Regards,
John Clancy.