A LANDLORD WHO challenged his obligation to register his tenancy will have to pay €5,500 in fines and legal fees.
The Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) says they sent Dereck Doherty, of 12 Grangemore Court, Donaghmede, Dublin 13, four separate letters before court proceedings were issued.
The dispute was over a rent supplement supported tenancy at 28 Calendon Road in East Wall in Dublin
The PRTB say they sent two letters to Doherty informing him that he had not registered the tenancy and received no reply.
Two more solicitors were sent before they received a reply acknowledging receipt of the letters and challenging the authority of the PRTB to require him to register.
Proceedings were commenced against the landlord in October and, following a January court hearing, he was ordered to pay a fine of €3,000.
Judge John O’Neill further awarded costs against Doherty of €2,5000.
A further conviction was secured against Cork-based landlord Daniel O’Keeffe for failing to register a tenancy at North Quay Place.
Judge O’Neill heard evidence from the PRTB that the landlord had been sent a number of warnings and he commented that the proceedings were issued as a “last result”. O’Keeffe was fined €500 and costs of €2,500 were also ordered against him.
The PRTB said that further cases will be brought before the courts throughout this year and beyond for failing to register tenancies. It issued almost 30,000 letters in 2014 notifying Landlords of their specific registration requirement.
“It is not acceptable that a minority of landlords attempt to operate outside the law, despite several official communications setting out clearly what their obligations are and what the consequences for not registering may be,” said PRTB Director Anne Marie Caulfield who added that they’ve secured 46 criminal convictions since 2013.
The published register of all registered tenancies is available on the PRTB website www.prtb.ie.
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