RETIREES IN A west Sligo village who are facing eviction this summer may end up staying over beyond their termination date as they have “nowhere to go”.

The affected households are part of a wider estate of 27 houses for independent living, dotted around a nursing home in the coastal town of Enniscrone. 

Residents the six households affected have said their lives have been upended since they received the notices to quit last November.

They must move out by 5 June.

The plight facing the residents – who range in age between their 50s and 80s – was first reported in The Journal in December.

More than three months on, they’re even more worried about their future as they’ve found it “impossible” to find somewhere else to rent.

There have been calls for the Athlone-based company that owns the properties – Nasso BK Holdings Ltd – to listen to pleas, while a local Labour senator has urged the Housing Minister to provide emergency funding to purchase the properties.

One resident, Patricia Hogan, who took early retirement to downsize to Enniscrone with her partner, told The Journal that the experience has been a “living nightmare” for residents.

“We’re taking it day by day but it’s very frightening,” she said.

“We’re trying everything we can to get somewhere but we can’t get anywhere.”

Where they do find places available to rent, the remoteness of some rural properties poses problems for residents who require regular medical care.

“One man has a HSE support team that visits four times a day and it took nearly two years to get that in place,” Patrica said.

“It would take the same if they move to a different county.”

Local Independent councillor Joe Queenan – who is among the politicians assisting the families – said that residents may have “no choice” but to remain on in the homes past the planned eviction date given the housing shortage and acute medical difficulties they are facing.

“Something like that will have to happen I think. We have to acknowledge that the tenants have their rents paid up to date and all the properties are in impeccable condition,” Queenan said.

The practice, known as ‘overholding’, sees tenants facing eviction remaining within the property and continuing to pay rent as it was under the terms of their now-defunct contract. A court order could be obtained to seek the removal of the residents in such a circumstance, although those examples are uncommon.

The current standoff, Queenan said, has left tenants “absolutely stressed to the limit” in their homes.

These are people who thought they had came to spend the rest of their lives here. It’s taken over their lives, this whole issue.

Queenan added that there have been some communiations with the landlord company and that “further communications will take place” in the coming weeks.

“We’re hopeful that they can remain in their present homes. It will all down to discussions in the next month,” Queenan said.

On site of nursing home

The homes – part of an estate named Sonas Retirement Village – were previously owned by a group known as Sonas, the former owners of the nursing home, but rented out privately.

There were changes to the ownership of both the nursing home at the centre of the development and the surrounding houses earlier this year.

The nursing home is now owned by a separate group, Ethos Care.

While some of the houses have since been sold to private owners, most of the 27 homes in the estate are now owned by Nasso BK Holdings Ltd.

Changes to rental laws

The Enniscrone eviction notices came amid widespread evictions ahead of the Government’s significant changes to the rental sector coming in March.

These reforms – the most significant in a decade – mean tenants have stronger security of tenure while allowing landlords to raise rents beyond previous caps.

But a trend that arose prior to those changes were eviction notices across the country, with recent data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) showing that 20,033 people received notices of termination last year -a 21% increase on 2024.

Whilst a landlord is legally entitled to commence eviction proceedings, the situation raises questions over protection for renters.

Nasso BK Holdings has not responded to requests for comment. Its eviction notice said it intends to sell the properties.

Labour urges minister to intervene

Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove told The Journal that Housing Minister needs to intervene in the case.

“I believe the minister needs to provide emergency funds to Sligo County Council to buy these houses,” she said.

Cosgrove said there is a “glaring gap” in legislation that there are no added protections or definition for retirement accommodation, despite the Enniscrone houses sitting on the site of a nursing home.

“This is a big wake-up call but in the meantime there are six households affected by this. There has to be an exception made here,” the Sligo-based senator said.

Longer term, she said Labour will look to introduce legislation to provide clarity around what comprises a “purpose built retirement home”.

“If there is provision there for student accommodation then you need this for older people,” Cosgrove said.