A man who had been subletting an overcrowded five-bedroom house in Dublin has been ordered to pay more than €22,000 in rent arrears and damages.
The subletter was ordered by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to pay €16,000 in rent arrears for the property, as well as an additional €6,225 for its poor condition.
Following several complaints from neighbours received regarding public order incidents outside the house, the landlord sought to end her rental agreement with the subletter, taking the case to the RTB in order to retrieve outstanding rent owed.
70 People Living in Property
Although the landlord lived outside of Ireland, she intended to inspect the property when back in the country. However, she had no idea that up to 70 people had been living in the five-bedroom home.
"Sometimes when I came to inspect my house some bedroom doors were locked, so I didn't know who was living there. I then Googled his name and came across an article about him overcrowding houses," the landlord told a national newspaper.
"I came into contact with him after I advertised the property and an auctioneer put me in touch with him and said he would handle the rental for me."
Dangerous Living Conditions
The court heard of an inspection that had taken place by the local county council in the area, and the dangerous living conditions in the house that it uncovered.
It found that almost every room it could obtain access to had been filled with either double-beds or bunk beds, with one room in the basement containing 11 bunk beds. Loose electrical wiring had to be avoided, and the boiler room, where there was flammable material scattered about, contained no smoke or heat detectors.
The subletter and owner of the property were ordered to pay the council’s legal fees, which amounted to €60,000.
*In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.