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Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘It was not really human at all': policing the worst of Dublin's rental market, with its bed bugs, overcrowding and no leases
Julia Langneck was full of hope and excitement when she moved from Brazil to Dublin to learn English at 18 years of age. Within months of arriving in the country she would find herself living in a bedbug-infested bedsit, sharing a room with four other people and paying almost €400 a month for the privilege. There were eight people sharing one bathroom on the ground floor of the three-storey building on Bolton Street in Dublin's north inner city. They were allocated one shelf each in a shared fridge, one cupboard each in the kitchen and slept in bunk beds in two separate rooms. 'It was not really human at all; it was really terrible,' says Langneck. READ MORE She recalls watching a bedbug crawl across her phone one night, and sleeping in the livingroom for fear of being bitten. 'My two housemates had bruises and bites all over their body, and we had to pay for it to be cleaned,' she says. There were eight people sharing one kitchen on the ground floor of the three-storey building on Bolton Street in Dublin 1. Photograph: Julia Langneck When the situation became unbearable, Langneck decided to move out, but her landlord, Renato Passos, withheld her deposit. She brought a case against him to the Residential Tenancies Board, the rental market regulator and arbiter of landlord-tenant disputes. The board ordered him to pay the deposit and damages. It would not be the last time he would have dealings with the regulator. [ Dublin landlord hit with largest-ever RTB fine over failure to register tenancies Opens in new window ] Sources within the RTB this week gave The Irish Times an insight into how they investigate rogue landlords and what they have seen vulnerable tenants go through. Inside the RTB, a team of investigators work like a detective unit to turn tip-offs into tangible prosecutions under powers afforded to it in 2019. They report a pattern in their findings: landlords with multiple properties, the subdividing of dwellings, overcrowded units and the absence of lease agreements. They regularly find vulnerable tenants, who have often just arrived in Ireland with no real understanding of their tenancy rights, paying high rents in substandard accommodation and being threatened with eviction or being moved around to different locations with no notice and seemingly no other option. Part 7A of the Residential Tenancies Act was enacted in 2019 and gives powers to the RTB to investigate improper conduct by landlords. Under the Act the RTB can appoint 'authorised officers' to investigate complaints and gives them extensive powers of entry and search, as well as power to compel people to provide information. The outcome of the investigation is sent to a 'decision maker' within the RTB, who decides if improper conduct has occurred. A financial sanction can then be imposed on the landlord, and must be confirmed by the Circuit Court. Details of the sanctions – and the landlord who received them – are then published on the RTB website. Tenants were sleeping on beds on the floor of the bar area of what was once Buck Whaley's nightclub on Leeson Street While Langneck's case was taken through its disputes process, the RTB subsequently began its own independent investigation into Passos when media reports detailed serious overcrowding and unstable tenancies in properties he was leasing on Leeson Street in Dublin 2. In November 2024 this resulted in the RTB's largest ever sanction, with the company run by Passos, Sweet Home Accommodation Ltd, being fined €22,000 for a breach of rental laws at six city-centre properties under his control. Investigators established that he had failed to register 20 tenancies in properties on Leeson Street, Middle Abbey Street and Upper Abbey Street. During its investigation the RTB discovered Brazilian students were being targeted through language schools and on social media about properties Passos did not actually own but was subletting. The tenancies were very short term, only a few months in duration, and rents were on average €500 per month. Tenants were sleeping on beds on the floor of the bar area of what was once Buck Whaley's nightclub on Leeson Street. There was extensive overcrowding at this property and at multiple other properties run by Passos, with bunk beds crammed into makeshift apartments, mattresses laid on floors and livingrooms converted into bedrooms. In one property there were 15 people sharing one kitchen. Investigating this case proved particularly difficult for the RTB because almost all of the tenants had moved out, often back to Brazil, by the time the case started. Significant time was spent by investigators tracing down these tenants, calling, emailing and chasing them by any means possible to try to get their evidence on the record. Eventually they gathered enough responses to ground a case, noting the most striking thing about their evidence was that these people did not know they were tenants, nor that the landlord couldn't move them out in the morning, nor that they were entitled to privacy and space in their own home. Sweet Home Accommodation Ltd is now in liquidation and the RTB is not aware of any outstanding cases against Passos. Asked to comment on the investigations, Passos responded to say the company was no longer operating. While Passos engaged with the RTB investigators and was co-operative in their investigation, other landlords have proven much more difficult to track down. Serving the notice of investigation on Marc Godart proved particularly difficult Controversial Luxembourg landlord Marc Godart and his company Green Label Ltd has been issued several sanctions by the RTB, following the conclusion of multiple investigations into his conduct. The Irish Times has investigated his rental property interests over several years, finding repeated instances of overcrowded accommodation and unlawful evictions in his sprawling Irish rental portfolio. However, sources within the RTB say that serving the actual notice of investigation on him proved particularly difficult. An investigation cannot continue unless the board can prove this notice was received by the landlord, and so landlords often do their best to evade receiving it. The first line of defence is often hiding behind multiple different company names, requiring the regulator to trawl through company records to establish the person behind the front. In Godart's case, investigators found letters were returned to them because the letterbox of his registered address had been blocked up. When investigators called to hand over the letter in person, they found the office was on an upper floor of a multi-unit block that they could not access. In the end, they waited outside the office on five occasions in order to gain trust with those coming and going, who eventually let them in and allowed them to push a letter under the door of the registered address. The RTB is keen to emphasise its persistence in investigating improper conduct in the rental market, and latest figures show the number of sanctions it is securing is growing at a steady rate. In 2024 it published 75 sanctions, with a value of just over €238,000. This is almost four times higher than what it gathered in 2023, at €64,360. Julia Langneck: 'I really love Ireland, but accommodation is such a big issue' Julia Langneck says she is grateful for the investigations into Passos, who she feels made her time in a foreign land far more difficult than it needed to be. 'You feel that someone from your country is going to help you, because you just arrived and everything is hard, but it was totally the opposite,' she says. 'He just kind of used us to get money. 'It's really upsetting, because you think you just crossed the ocean to another country to try a better life, and then you meet someone from your own country, and you think that person is going to help you, but definitely not.' After six years in Ireland, she returned to Brazil this summer to be with her boyfriend, Deliveroo driver João Ferreira. Ferreira lost part of his right leg after being seriously injured when he was hit by a Garda vehicle on the M50 in 2023. He is awaiting more surgeries in his home city of São Paulo. As the couple adapts to the realities of this new life, Langneck reflects on her time in Ireland. 'When people ask me, I say I really love Ireland, but accommodation is such a big issue there. In the end I got a nice apartment, a nice job – after years of worry, I felt like it was worth it in the end.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Home Economics: Can I evict my tenants for anti-social behaviour under the new rules?
Under the new tenancy rules being brought in, if my tenants are causing anti-social behaviour and need to be evicted, what are my rights in that situation now? Answer Yours is one of very many queries I'm receiving over the new rules applying to both landlords and tenants which the Minister for Housing is in the process of implementing. That serves only to emphasise how confusing it all is, so hopefully precise and clear information will emanate to all parties sooner rather than later. The legislation will take effect (we are told) from March 1, 2026, and apply in different ways to 'small' and 'large' landlords. I will assume for this purpose you are the former – that is, having three or fewer tenancies. Under the current, and new, arrangements, it is only 'no fault' evictions which are mentioned. That means circumstances where the tenant has done nothing wrong, but the landlord wants to sell up or evict for his own personal reasons, such as a family member needing the property, or because the lease is up. You remain entitled to end a tenancy if a tenant doesn't meet their obligations, which includes circumstances where, for instance, they don't pay their rent or have caused damage. Normally you must give a written warning 28 days before the Notice of Termination is issued; however, according to Citizens Information, if the behaviour is seriously anti-social, you do not have to give a warning notice but can issue notice to vacate with seven days' notice. You are advised to issue a warning letter outlining the unacceptable behaviour and give them a 'reasonable opportunity' to amend it The legislation defines anti-social behaviour as that which 'constitutes the commission of an offence that is reasonably likely to directly affect the well-being or welfare of others; causes (or could cause) fear, danger, injury, damage or loss to any person living, working or otherwise lawfully in the dwelling concerned or its vicinity, including violence, intimidation, coercion, harassment or obstruction of or threats to any such person'. If the behaviour falls short of this conduct, but is persistent or has interfered with another tenant or neighbour's right to enjoy peaceful occupation of their property, you are advised to issue a warning letter outlining the unacceptable behaviour and give them a 'reasonable opportunity' to amend it. Failing to do so means you can then issue notice on them with 28 days' notice that the tenancy is ending. The Residential Tenancies Board ( has great material and sample letters to download so that the tone and letter of the law are met. None of that is changing with these new rules.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
'Hugely distressing for more and more' people facing homelessness in retirement
It is described as the ticking time bomb of the housing crisis. Many people wonder if they will ever afford to buy a home and how they will pay for rising rents in retirement. A recent meeting of the National Homeless Action Committee heard that housing charities and advocacy groups are sounding alarm bells over an increasing trend of people in their 60s needing to access emergency accommodation for the first time, with specific reference to Galway. The City of the Tribes has seen eight consecutive quarters of high rental inflation, a concerning trend, according to the Residential Tenancies Board. Galway Simon Community confirmed that it is seeing more and more older people entering homelessness for the first time. 66-year-old Carmel moved to the city from Dublin to be close to her son and grandchild nine years ago but has struggled to find a home. She qualifies for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) but "landlords won't accept it", she says, in such a competitive rental market. Carmel began working as a live-in carer for sick and elderly people to pay her bills, but also as a roof over her head. However, having injured her shoulder recently, she is no longer able for the physical work of personal care. Carmel is still living in the home of a previous client because she has "nowhere to go". With weekly pension payments of "€300 a week" and rent for apartments in Galway of around "€2,000 euro a month", she describes her situation as "impossible" and "soul destroying". "I never thought I'd be homeless," she told RTÉ's Drivetime, as she spoke of her constant stress and uncertainty that "feels like a dead end, like I'm never going to have a place where I can relax and call home". For Mary Jane, who is 65, it was "absolutely terrifying" to get an eviction notice from the Co Galway flat that she had be renting for seven years. The former chef raised her daughters in the city, but had to give up restaurant work in recent years due to back problems and found it "hard to get HAP" so she had to move. When that property was being sold, Mary Jane faced not knowing whether she would be "sleeping in a doorway, or on somebody's floor" or where she would be. She described her situation as "very frightening" at a time when she had hoped to plan her retirement. "I never thought I would become homeless" at this age, she added, tearfully, speaking of feeling "constantly sick" and crying at night. "It was just horrible, you just don't expect it," Mary Jane added. Across Ireland, 15,580 people are living in emergency accommodation, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Housing, with 244 of them - or 2% - over the age of 65. Facing homelessness in retirement is "hugely distressing for more and more" people, according to Galway Simon Community. With more people renting rather than owning their homes, Chief Executive Karen Golden said that when people "reach pension age and their income decreases fairly substantially, they're no longer able to afford the rising rents" in what she described as the "deeply problematic private rental sector". Galway Simon Community recently developed a block of ten one-bedroom A-rated apartments specifically designed for older people and those with impaired mobility. The building, on a former derelict site next to its 24/7 emergency hostel facility and support services, receiveved funding support from the Department of Housing through Galway City Council. According to Ms Golden, the plan is "to provide accessible homes with security for older people who could be otherwise facing homelessness", adding that she "would advocate for more of this type of development in Galway and elsewhere because it is so badly needed". The ten apartments were occupied within a week of their launch and could have been filled "many times over", according to Galway Simon, as it endeavors to provide a positive outcome for more pensioners in precarious housing situations, including Carmel, who said she does not know "what's going to happen to her in the future". Mary Jane was one of the fortunate ones to finally get her "forever home" in the development and is already "planning Christmas" with her grandchildren there. She spoke of "relief, when you come into somewhere, you know it's safe and secure, and yours for your lifetime" where you can "breathe and relax". "It's what we all deserve," she added, and it is "so important to feel that".
RTÉ News
13-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Minister for Housing defends new Government rental measures
The Minister for Housing has defended new measures in relation to the rental market, saying they strike a balance between protecting tenants and supporting investment. Speaking in Galway this morning, James Browne acknowledged "there were a few different moving parts" in the planned legislation, but he said these were necessary, given the scale of the accommodation issues the country was facing. "There's always going to be a challenge around the complexity of doing anything like this, there's no one size fits all to bring a solution to this kind of complex situation," he said. He said a balance had to be struck between protecting tenants and ensuring that investors were willing to embark on building projects. The Minister said the Government wanted to protect existing tenants as well as increasing the supply of available rental properties. He said "a massive step change" was needed in this regard but that he believed the measures announced this week would help that to happen. He said investors needed certainty as to what the long term situation would be regarding tenants rights. Minister Browne said the current situation with Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs), where rent increases are limited to two per cent, meant investors could make a loss, if inflation rose above that figure. He said this was causing a "blockage" but that more needed to be done to address what he termed "a viability gap" for new builds. He said the Government would be taking other measures to close this gap in the coming weeks and months. The Minister added that a minimum security of tenure, of six years from next March, would protect renters entering into a new lease agreement, while allowing landlords to be able to reset rents "every so often". He said he felt the six year period struck the right balance in that regard. But he said landlords couldn't take advantage of this to reset rents "to a mad number" and would have to charge market rates or lower. The Residential Tenancies Board would adjudicate on any disputes that arose in this regard, and would be provided with additional resources to do this. Minister Browne made his comments after opening a new office for the Threshold housing charity in Galway, where the twin issues of housing affordability and supply are having a huge impact on the lives of thousands of people. He said he had secured cabinet approval to tackle the impact caused by short-term holiday lets on the wider rental market. "We're in a housing crisis, where there is an issue with supply, we have to take priority decisions, and the priority has to be for people to have homes over short term lets" he said. The Government has already proposed passing legislation to outlaw short term lets, in the absence of planning permission, in towns with a population of 10,000 or more. The Minister acknowledged that this would have some impact on those dependent on such income but said the wider need for housing had to be given precedence. He said there had been a lack of enforcement of existing legislation around short term lets, but said "it should come to an end now". Mr Browne said planned legislation would give "really strong enforcement powers to ban the advertisement of short term lets". He said he would also be open to giving more powers to local authorities in terms of enforcement. The Minister has a series of engagements in the area today, including a meeting with campaigners in Conamara, who say the number of planning approvals for new homes in Gaeltacht areas is impacting the chance Irish speakers have to live in their own communities. He is also due to open the first cost rental housing scheme in Galway city this afternoon.
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Landlords could face stiffer fines for breaking rent rules
The Government is considering higher fines for landlords who breach rental rules in the wake of cabinet approving plans to overhaul the sector. Government on Tuesday agreed to extend Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) across the country while also allowing higher rent increases in new-build apartments. Minister for Housing James Browne said the level of fines was being looked at to see 'how much can we increase those fines'. However, he was not yet able to say what level the higher fines might come in at. There was a level after which it would be more appropriate for the courts to impose a fine, he said, rather than the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) which is to be responsible for policing the new regime. READ MORE Briefing reporters after Cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Browne was unable to offer a specific timeline on when he believed rents would come down, saying it would only happen after increased supply and investment which he believed would follow from the reforms agreed. He would only say he expected rents to fall over time. 'What that particular length of time is, I wouldn't be able to predict,' he said. The new rules will allow rents in new build apartments to be raised above the current limit of 2 per cent after six years, while also ending 'no fault evictions' for landlords with four or more tenancies. Under the new rules, the circumstances where a smaller landlord can evict someone in order to move in a family member will be tightened. A restriction will be introduced on an eviction being allowed only when an immediate family member needs the accommodation, or when the landlord is facing bankruptcy, insolvency or 'some other particular hardship'. If a landlord exercises their right to break a tenancy, they will not be allowed to reset the rent, Mr Browne said - meaning there would not be an economic incentive to engineer an eviction. All landlords will be able to sell a property with the tenant remaining in situ at any time. Landlords will not be allowed to reset rents during tenancies created before the end of next February. The Minister also said there would be further funding and support for the RTB which will be tasked with enforcing the rules. 'The Government wishes to put the sector on notice today that from the 1st of March 2026, stronger tenant protections will apply,' he said. From next March larger landlords - classified as those having four or more tenancies – will not be able to put a 'no fault' eviction in place. Mr Browne said tenancies will be for an unlimited time, with a 'minimum duration' of six years, which he said would be a 'real leap forward' for tenant protections. Under the reforms, only new build apartments will be able to increase rents by more than 2 per cent currently allowed under the Rent Pressure Zone legislation. This will be limited to increases equivalent to the rate of inflation at the time. That will only apply to apartments being commenced from today, so it will be several years before these units come to the market. 'The changes I'm making today will have a significant impact for our rental sector, making much needed investment more attractive while strengthening the protections and providing greater certainty for renters,' he said. He said there was a 'fine balance' to be struck as the State aims to attract investment in the apartment building sector while ensuring fair treatment for tenants. Mr Browne is promising a suite of further measures, including planning extensions and planning exemptions in the coming weeks. 'This is not being presented as a silver bullet. This is to strike a balance, to bring clarity and to bring certainty,' he said. 'Without all of these things we cannot ramp up the supply needed, and I'm determined and ambitious to get this right.'
