A court hearing date has been set for Marc Godart, a property owner who is currently facing charges for unauthorised short-term rental activities in Dublin. Godart, a businessman hailing from Luxembourg, has been prosecuted by Dublin City Council for defying a notice to halt the use of Reuben House in Dublin 8 for temporary letting purposes. This case was initially presented before Judge Anthony Halpin at the Dublin District Council.
The documents from the court indicate that the landlord should’ve adhered to the directive by 28th April of the preceding year. The two entities affiliated with Mr. Godart, namely, “Reuben Hot Desks Ltd” and “Green Label Property Investments Ltd”, have also been prosecuted by the council.
Nearly a month prior, Judge Halpin, in consultation with prosecutor Michael Quinlan, determined that the defendant should be supplied with the required evidence. The judge then postponed the hearing until the next Tuesday, to enter a plea.
Mr. Quinlan indicated that the defense expressed an earlier preference for the case to be ‘mentioned only’, expecting it to conclude; however, no updates were received. He proposed that a date for a hearing be set, hinting that the case could be disputed. Judge Halpin then fixed this “rather contentious” case for trial for the 22nd of October.
Green Label Property Investments Ltd also faces a different prosecution concerning fire safety launched by the council, in regard to a location- Unit 1A, The Forge, Railway Street, in Dublin 1. They are accused of neglecting to comply with a fire safety notice on 8th May of the previous year, issued on 29th June 2023, notifying the potential peril of the building. This issue will also be deliberated in court on 15th October.