Tenant who lived in car for months with partner and child due to rent hike awarded damages
A tenant in Ireland was awarded nearly €16,000 after being forced to live in a car due to illegal rent increases and exploitative practices by his landlord. The Residential Tenancies Board tribunal ruled in favor of the tenant, highlighting issues with rent pressure zone regulations.
Why it matters
This case underscores the severe impact of housing crises and the importance of legal protections for tenants against predatory rental practices.
A Kildare tenant who said he had to live in a car with his partner and young child for months as he could not afford an invalid rental increase has been awarded almost €16,000 in damages and overpaid rent.
A Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) tribunal heard landlord David Massey also allegedly sought a “goodwill payment” from the “desperate” family to secure the house in Kilbelin Close, Newbridge.
Dylan Keating, who had been approved for the Homeless Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), began renting the property from Massey in December 2022.
Rent had previously been set at €1,650, meaning the highest Massey could charge Keating was €1,683 under Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules, which restricted increases to 2 per cent per year.
However, Keating claimed Massey told him another party was willing to pay more and it was suggested he pay an additional €200 per month, bringing the rent to €1,883.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in