At a tribunal hosted by the Residential Tenancies Board, a tenant who had lowered her monthly rental fees under the premise that her former partner had been incarcerated was instructed to remit rent arrears close to €6,000. Agnieszka Labedzka, a resident of a property located in Newbridge, Co Kildare, stood before the tribunal in August conveying that her former partner, Daniel Syrek, a co-signatory on the lease, was serving time in jail. She tried to justify to the rental agent multiple times that her ex-partner was a former occupant of the property but did not contribute to any of the payments.
Since December 2023, she stated that she had been solely responsible for her share of the rent, articulating to the tribunal that she would not foot the bill for another individual “that was not her dependant”. The tribunal was informed that originally, in March 2020, Ms Labedzka had signed a lease agreement with her then-husband, but executed a fresh lease document with Mr Syrek the following year, in March 2021.
Eva Farragher, a representative for the property owner, Desmond Diver, proclaimed that the outstanding rent, totalling €5,726, had accrued since December 2023, also adding Mr Syrek had not communicated with her about the overdue amount. The tribunal ruled that Ms Labedzka cannot make independent judgements to lower the pre-agreed rent irrespective of the absence of Mr Syrek from the property, and commanded her to make payments of €318.11, every month, for a whole 18 months.
In another case, a tenant who was held by an RTB tribunal for unlawfully remaining in a property after the expiration of a lease was directed to vacate and settle rent arrears amounting to €24,667. The rental agent for ISFII Aderrig 1 Limited, Niamh Carney of Savills, alleged that the tenant, Jordan Lawrence, had failed to pay the rent for a complete year, from August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024.
Ms Carney asserted that her team had made multiple unsuccessful attempts at connecting with Mr Lawrence, following his initial failure to make a payment. Mr Lawrence was reportedly still dwelling in the property during a hearing held last month, yet failed to communicate further. She brought attention to the missing reply to the late payment warning sent on October 19, 2023, which consequentially compelled her to serve a 28-day eviction notice in November. Ms Carney, who was pushing for an affirmation of Mr Lawrence’s overholding, claimed that the tenant once again failed to react or exit the property by the end date on December 15th. She believed that Mr Lawrence, who was not present at the tribunal trial, had potentially violated his tenancy contract by altering the flat’s locks and keeping a dog, in addition to his persistent neglect in rent payment. The hearing was informed that there had initially been two occupants in the Lucan, Co Dublin property when the tenancy began in March 2023, but the second tenant departed in May, rendering Mr Lawrence the singular occupant.