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THE LANDLORD OF Tathony House has issued fresh eviction notices to tenants after he withdrew an appeal against a ruling that his previous attempts to evict were invalid.
Ronan McDonnell, the building’s owner, in October 2022 set out to evict nearly 100 tenants so he could sell the property. The residents brought a case to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), which ruled that the landlord could not legally proceed.
It was argued that McDonnell’s decision violated the Tyrrelstown Amendment to the Residential Tenancies Act of 2016, which prevents property owners from evicting 10 or more units of their property, unless they would be caused “undue hardship” financially by allowing the tenants to stay.
McDonnell fought the ruling however, three days before the tribunal was to take place, he withdrew the appeal.
Of the 34 households originally asked to leave, 29 have left, some moving outside Dublin for more affordable housing.
The five households remaining have had their notice periods restarted.
James O’Toole, who has helped lead the campaign against the evictions, has been living in Tathony House with his partner Cllr Madeleine Johansson for 14 years. They have been given eight months notice to find somewhere else to live.
Average rents in new tenancies increased nationally by 11.6% in the last year, the highest annual increase since the RTB series began in 2007.
“Rather than the situation improving since we were first served our notices, the situation has deteriorated,” O’Toole said.
“If there was somewhere to go, maybe tenants wouldn’t feel like they have their backs up against the wall.”
It is understood that Dublin City Council contacted McDonnell to discuss selling to an Approved Housing Body like the Iveagh Trust and keeping the tenants in situ. The tenants say he has not engaged.
“It’s all about money for these people,” O’Toole continued.
“We need real tenants rights in Ireland so that tenants don’t face emergency accommodation and homelessness.”
People Before Profit Councillor Johansson is encouraging the other 15,000 households nationwide who have been issued notices to “fight like we have done”.
“In 14 other European countries eviction on grounds of sale would be illegal. The eviction ban just temporarily brought us in line with those countries where landlords sell with tenants in situ,” the group said in a statement.
The remaining tenants of Tathony House now plan to construct another case for the RTB, which will argue that while the landlord is evicting less than ten households, it is still unlawful to do so as the result would be the same as before.
McDonnell did not respond to a request for comment from The Journal.
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Gas isn’t it you can’t even sell your property and legally ask tenants to leave.
@Paul H: greedy folks like you have ruined this country. Big difference from selling a house than evicting 34 households for money
@Niall Horan Appreciation Club: And bleeding heart liberalists like you have contributed to it as well…..everyone feeling entitled to things and expecting others to pay for it.
@Niall Horan Appreciation Club: the problem is not the landlords who own properties & want to profit from it. We live in a free market economy as we are continuously told. The state has broken the social contract for decades, allowing developers get out of the sham 10% of estates to be social housing by giving cash instead of housing units. The state allowed almost all its trades men be unreplaced on retirement farming out services, and depending on landlords provide housing, they have now thrown landlords under the bus demonising them for exiting the market or daring to utilise their property as they wish. They have had over a decade to sort social housing and migrant accomodation out, 2 years to house Ukrainian refugees, and still have failed, falling back on tactics from 2 years ago.
@Spanner: why should any percentage of private estates be given over to social?…There is a reason people like myself work hard and buy our own houses…if that is taken away,we’ll then the state can house us all.Why should I pay market value for my house and dean and jacinta move in next door for free and most likely be the cause of the destruction of the area(which is what you see in council estates)
@Paul H: Yea, property rights should be more important than human rights.
@Paul H: a lot of properties are for sale with tenants in situ, he can do the same
@he didnt take the 120k because he already got it s: …..he can do what he likes with HIS PROPERTY,people like you will not be allowed to dictate to him.
@uUleRhCu: bleeding hearts? You mean basic human decency.
Ireland suffers hugely from the Golden rule, he with the most gold makes the rules. In most other European countries what the landlord is doing is illegal
@Niall Horan Appreciation Club: blub blub blub, I want me free gaff and I want it yesterday
@robbie scanlon: Absolute nonsense…..we have some of the most socialist housing rights in Europe…..plenty of people during the downturn lived in ‘their’ houses for 10 plus years paying No mortgage… it’s nearly impossible to evict and a host of other nonsense.What European countries are you talking about?…..and I bet they don’t have our lot with their lifetime entitlements and ‘someone’ else can pay attitudes.
@uUleRhCu: John, like you we worked all our lives and bought our home. It was the government who decided that new housing developments had to include a percentage of social housing. It was their way of ensuring the state didn’t have to build houses. Then they gave the devopers the opt out by paying councils large sums in lieu providing the social houses. The state since then have never caught up on the numbers of housing units needed to house Irish citizens as they did in the past, with no provision for accommodation for migrants or refugees being available except over dependence on hotels,b n bs, fisused offices warehouses and any spare bedroom thats availabke. This is all paid for by the taxpayer and costing an arm and a leg more than building the units would have over the years.
it’s gas,the people who have dug in at this property are expecting the taxpayer to buy this property(whatever it costs)so that they can join the 64% of other social tenants that are in arrears and that they will have the endless money pit of the taxpayers at their disposal to tap into to house them for life in a cosy city centre location…..while workers have to travel great distances to get to their places of work.
@uUleRhCu: Ar you claiming these tenants are in arrears with their rent?
Do you have any justification for such a claim?
Or are you playing fast and loose with defamation?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: There is a very good reason that these people are foaming at the mouth to get the taxpayers to be their landlord…..because there is zero personal responsibility and you can go into arrears very easily unlike private tenancies.They are all very much part of the socialist entitlement brigade…I do know that for a fact.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: you might want to read his comment again, but this time try to concentrate
@uUleRhCu: socialist entitlement? You should check the dictionary for the definition of what you are saying. Capitalist ideals should take second place where people’s homes are concerned
@robbie scanlon: ‘people’s homes’. …it’s not their home,it’s a rental.There is a contract where someone pays rent to someone who takes all the responsibility with the property and who takes all the risk with and all the many other things that come hand and hand with owning a property…..tenants can walk away at anytime and don’t share any risk.
@jiminybillybob: He claims that they want to have homes and not pay rent.
Without evidence that I am aware of.
Now, is that showing some level of prejudice, do you think?
And is that, or is that not, defamation?
@Peter Murray: Ah there ya are the biggest troll on the internet.
Free houses for layabouts as usual!
What a silly people we are.
Rat rat rat
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