Limerick family was unlawfully removed from housing list
The Irish High Court ruled that Limerick City and County Council acted unlawfully by removing a Traveller family from the social housing list. The family had surrendered their tenancy due to criminal attacks on their home, which the court determined did not constitute a refusal of housing.
Why it matters
This case highlights the legal protections for vulnerable tenants and the limitations of local authority powers in housing allocation.
Limerick City and County Council acted unlawfully when it removed a Traveller family from the social housing list for a year after they had handed back the keys of a property after windows were smashed and threatening graffiti was written on its walls, the High Court has ruled.
A mother and her two young children, who cannot be identified on the direction of Mr Justice Garrett Simons, successfully won their legal case against the council over claims they had been unlawfully removed from the housing list for 12 months.
Lawyers for Limerick City and County Council had opposed the judicial review of its decision as it claimed the family could have remained in the property with the assistance of gardaí and other services.
They also claimed the judicial review had been sought outside a statutory time limit and that the proceedings had become moot.
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