The High Court has been apprised of the illegal occupation of a house in Terenure, Dublin, by as many as 14 individuals. These inhabitants, assumed to be foreign nationals, allege to be paying rent to a man named “Gunter,” according to information provided to officials.
The case was brought to court by Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) DAC, a firm specialising in debt purchasing. They are seeking orders against the unnamed occupants of 74 Terenure Road East to relinquish possession to Declan Taite, a receiver appointed by Pepper. The proceedings also involve John Gibbons, who is claimed to have supplied a supposed sub-lease agreement from 2013 to the property’s occupants.
Gibbons is also reported to have offered up another lease agreement, stating that the previous owners are in debt to him due to past work he conducted on the premises. In a unilateral (ex parte) application to initiate legal action against Gibbons and unknown persons, Niall Ó’hUiginn BL, representing Pepper and the receiver, referred to these leases as fraudulent.
Ó’hUiginn further reported that Gibbons requested until August 12th to let the tenants vacate, stating that some were already seeking living accommodations elsewhere, while others had left. According to Ó’hUiginn, although his clients consented to the August 12th deadline, Gibbons declined to reveal the occupants’ identities, thereby rendering it impossible for him to represent them.
Subsequently, his clients launched legal proceedings to regain possession and prevent the defendants or anyone else from entering the property. They are further pursuing an order to halt Gibbons or his representatives from collecting rent or claiming the right to do so.
Justice Mark Sanfey gave the plaintiffs the green light to present the defendants with the legal proceedings at short notice. He directed that notices could be affixed to the property’s front door regarding unknown persons, while Gibbons could be served via email. The case will be back in court next week.
It was revealed in court that in 2021, Pepper Finance took over a loan for the property from Ulster Bank. This loan was originally taken out by the former owners in 2006. Following a default on the mortgage by the previous homeowners, Pepper appointed a receiver in November of last year.