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MANY RESIDENTS OF a Co Wexford housing estate who have been facing a controversial mass eviction intend on carrying on with their cases before the State watchdog, despite the landlord’s U-turn on their housing situation.
The case dominated domestic headlines over the past week, as the eviction notices landed 48 hours before the Government’s sweeping new rental rules took effect.
Up to 100 tenants across as many as 37 homes in Hazelwood estate in Bridgetown have been meeting in recent days to figure out their next move.
In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for landlord Martin Sinnott and his firm Patchflow Ltd said that it “decided to withdraw” the notices, as it also acknowledged that receiving notices of termination can be “deeply unsettling” for tenants and their families.
While Patchflow indicated in that statement that it was interested in selling some of the homes to the current tenants, many families fear they will not be able to afford the houses.
A number of the households have now told The Journal that they intend on seeing cases lodged with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) through rather than scrapping them.
Hazelwood residents have also designed posters and a slogan titled ‘Just a minute, Martin Sinnott’ with tenants group Community Action and Tenants Union (also known as Catu) as they bid to resist any potential future attempts to evict them.
Ann Marie Lamb, who has lived in Hazelwood for the past nine years, told The Journal that residents were not totally reassured by Sinnott withdrawing the eviction notices last week.
“It was absolute relief but that relief died down because we don’t know what’s going to happen now,” Lamb explained.
“If he does withdraw his notices, what happens then? Is he going to go to negotiation with us to buy a house or will we see people in the same situation a few months down the line.”
The company came in for major criticism after it emerged a fortnight ago that it had issued the notices. Further controversy followed last week when a video was leaked showing an agent of Patchflow telling tenants that the rules were to blame, but that they would closely follow “radio shows and political debate” over the subsequent days before making a “final decision” on their future housing.
The rental watchdog was asked to investigate their planned evictions case on grounds that it allegedly breached the Tyrellstown Amendment, which is legislation that prohibits landlords from selling ten or more homes at once without tenants remaining in situ.
Despite the landlord withdrawing the notices, it’s understood the 37 cases registered over the evictions with the rental watchdog, the Residential Tenancies Board, remain live. Because the tenants were the ones who made the complaints, only they can withdraw the notice.
There had been 36 cases initially, but the number of proposed evictions is understood to stand at 37.
The spokesperson for Patchflow – which sits in a network of companies owned by Sinnott and which reported a total profit of €13 million – said on Friday that the company is now entering discussions with some tenants about purchasing their home.
“Over the coming weeks the company will meet tenants on an individual basis to discuss their circumstances and explore what options may be available to them,” the spokesperson said.
This arrangement will be carried out on the basis that “existing tenancy agreements remain in place and that all obligations under those agreements, including the payment of rent”, continue to be met, the spokesperson said.
But tenants are still waiting to hear details of this suggestion, according to those we spoke with.
Lamb counts herself among the “lucky ones” who may be able to afford to buy their home, but she said that the rent paid for the house should be taken into account in any negotiation.
I’ve given over €80,000 in rent over the last nine years and I’ve spent on other bits like painting, the new carpets, new flooring, and all of that. I would hope that is taken into consideration, because I’ve put about €105,000 into this house, including rent.
Another resident, who lives in Bridgetown with his young family, told The Journal that there is a fear evictions may still take place in the months ahead.
Under law, the Tyrellstown Amendment does not get activated if nine households are evicted every six months.
Hazelwood tenants hope that by continuing with the RTB cases, it will offer tenants more protection.
“There is no guarantee on what happens,” this man said, pointing to how the landlord put more emphasis on selling homes to tenants rather than allowing people to continue renting.
Under the original eviction notices that kicked off the controversy, Patchflow wanted to terminate the contracts so the houses could be sold.
“We don’t want anyone to lose their home,” this renter said.
Lamb, who lives with her two sons, said she believes the whole affair could have been handled far differently if Patchflow wanted to offload the homes.
“Look, he’s a landlord – he’s within his right to sell his houses,” Lamb added.
“But if he is selling, just come speak to us. Some of us could buy the houses, there are some of us that are entitled to cost rental. There are lots of other options.”
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