Galway tenants named after leaving landlord €16,000 out of pocket
The two tenants lived in a house in Roscam for 11 months but only ever paid rent once, a Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) tribunal has heard
Two tenants who lived in a house in Roscam for around 11 months but only ever paid rent once have been ordered to vacate the property and pay their landlord €16,000 in arrears.
Ciara J. Quinn and Luke Clancy moved into 45 Duirling, Roscam in April 2025, having agreed to pay landlord Gareth O’Sullivan a security deposit of €1,600 and rent of €1,600 per month.
In June 2025, they notified Mr O’Sullivan via WhatsApp that they intended to move out on July 4. The landlord accepted their notice and arranged for a new family to move into the house.
He had taken a deposit from the family but later had to return this when it became clear that Ms Quinn and Mr Clancy would not leave the property, a Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) tribunal was told.
Ms Quinn gave evidence that she had contacted Threshold and Galway City Council, and had been advised that vacating the property voluntarily could affect her housing position.
She therefore sent an email to Ms O’Sullivan on July 4, retracting her earlier notification that they would be leaving the house. She told the tribunal that she understood they had to leave the dwelling, but needed a formal RTB determination order to present to the housing authorities.
When the tenants remained in the house without paying rent, he issued an arrears warning notice on July 12, requiring payment within 28 days. When payment was not received, he served a notice of termination on August 9.
At the RTB tribunal hearing, the tenants accepted that rent arrears amounting to €16,000 were outstanding. As they had been in the property for around 11 months, this amount indicated that they had only ever made one rent payment.
The tribunal found that the tenants’ notification of their intention to move out in June 2025 had not complied with the statutory requirements for a valid notice of termination under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, and the tenancy had therefore not ended in July 2025.
The landlord’s notice of termination was found to be valid, and the tribunal therefore determined that the tenants had been overholding on the property since August 2025.
It found that rent arrears of €16,000 were due to Mr O’Sullivan. As Ms Quinn was in receipt of maternity benefit, the tribunal permitted the arrears to be paid in monthly installments of €200.
It also ordered the two tenants to vacate the dwelling and deliver vacant possession to the landlord within 28 days.