The Housing Minister has admitted some builders responsible for apartment defects will never pay a cent towards refurbishing them.
It comes as the Cabinet has approved a scheme to address defects in apartments and duplexes built during the Celtic Tiger.
It's thought up to 100,000 apartments or duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 may have defects that need to be fixed
At an estimated cost of €25,000 per apartment - that would bring a price tag of up to €2.5 billion.
Add that to the €2.7 billion due for the mica and pyrite scheme, and the State is on the hook for €5 billion worth of Celtic Tiger defects.
Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien says they will try to pursue the builders who are at fault, but they may be beyond reach:
"That is certainly correct in many instances, but we are looking at all legal avenues available as well to be able to seek recourse."
While Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin O'Broin says the 100% redress being offered here also needs to be extended to mica and pyrite-affected homeowners
"There are homeowners in average size rural homes that will have to pay up to a €100,000 to remediate their properties."
Advocacy groups have welcomed the scheme which will see those with defective apartments get long-sought redress.
