Galway landlord left with €15,000 bill as tenant paid no rent for over a year
She must pay the electricity bill as well as the €11,000 in unpaid rent
A tenant who paid no rent for more than a year and allegedly left her landlord with an electricity bill of €15,000 has been ordered to vacate a property in Galway and pay arrears of more than €11,500.
Kayleigh Ward had moved into Yellow Stables, Cloon, Claregalway, in November 2019 for an initial period of six months, after which the tenancy was renewed for a further year.
The rent was €875 per month, of which €850 was paid by Roscommon County Council in Housing Assistance Payment.
Ms Ward was asked to vacate the property upon the expiry of the lease in April 2021 and on 'many occasions' subsequently, but she failed to do so, telling a Residential Tenancies Tribunal that she had 'nowhere to go'.
The landlord, Gabriel Corless, was represented at the tribunal by his daughter, Anne-Marie, who said the property had always been used by family, and the arrangement was always intended to be a short-term let.
She said Mr Corless’s grandson had moved from Dublin to Galway last year in anticipation of moving into the property but has been unable to do so due to Ms Ward’s refusal to vacate.
Ms Corless told the tribunal that the landlord had not put the electricity account in Ms Ward’s name because of the anticipated short-term nature of the tenancy, but sought to collect money from her when bills fell due.
She alleged that €15,475 in electricity bills remained outstanding and also claimed that Ms Ward had failed to pay a €25 contribution in addition to the HAP since April 2020. This was disputed by the tenant, who said she had no knowledge of such a contribution.
At one point, the electricity was cut off at the property for a period of eight weeks, so Ms Ward obtained a generator. The account was eventually put in the name of Simon Stokes in December 2025, and Ms Ward said she gave him money for the bills.
Ms Ward said she wanted to remain in the house and would start paying rent if she was allowed to stay. She admitted she had paid no rent since Roscommon County Council stopped HAP on January 31, 2025 after she was added to the Galway County Council housing list.
Ms Ward said she was in arrears because Mr Corless had refused to sign a form relating to rent allowance, and she could not afford to pay rent herself.
Ms Corless explained that her father had understood the form related to HAP and did not sign it because he did not want to extend the tenancy.
The tribunal found that the termination notice issued in February 2025 was valid, and the tenant was overholding since the following August. It calculated that the arrears due amounted to €11,519.
It made no finding in relation to electricity arrears due to the absence of documentation such as bills or invoices to support the landlord’s claim that €15,475 remained outstanding.
The tribunal ordered Ms Ward to vacate the property within 56 days and continue to pay rent of €875 along with any other charges until she leaves.
She was also ordered to pay €11,519 in rent arrears in monthly instalments of €500 and one final payment of €519.85