A tenant who allegedly ran a puppy farm at a premises he rented in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny threatened his landlord “with a knife” while being evicted, a Residential Tenancies Board tribunal heard.
The tenant argued that he and his 75-year-old mother had suffered an illegal eviction when the locks were changed in August 2023.
Gardaí and staff from the ISPCA, Kilkenny County Council, the HSE and the Ukrainian Centre were present along with a Ukrainian interpreter on the day of the eviction, the tribunal heard.
A representative for the landlord said the tenant had more than 100 dogs at one stage between the home in Kilkenny and another property in Tipperary, including restricted breeds such as pit bulls.
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He said the landlord’s 90-year-old neighbouring mother “lived in fear of the tenant and the dogs” which had been allowed to roam.
The landlord’s representative said the ISPCA had been called to the dwelling to rescue the dogs on foot of complaints of alleged mistreatment while the HSE became involved to remove the tenant’s mother due to the “appalling conditions”.
He said the mother had been found sleeping on a mattress on the floor while there were dogs “all over the property” which had fallen into “complete disrepair”.
A number of knives were discovered at the property, one of which the tenant used to threaten the landlord, the landlord’s representative claimed.
The tenant’s mother who had moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2023 was offered alternative accommodation by officials present but chose to move to her son’s other property in Tipperary.
Previous attempts to evict the tenant were made since his tenancy began in 2014 though he “refused to leave”, the landlord’s representative said.
He described extensive damage caused by the use of the property, saying the water supply had been “contaminated” by the presence of such a number of dogs with sewage “overflowing”.
He told the tribunal in May that investigations by gardaí and the ISPCA were ongoing.
The tribunal found that a notice of termination with seven days’ notice issued in the lead-up to the eviction was valid due to the tenant’s “serious antisocial” behaviour.
Meanwhile, a tenant whose friend “spat” at another resident in a development in Bandon, Co Cork was ordered to vacate the premises within 21 days by another RTB tribunal.
The tribunal heard how other residents were being intimidated by the tenant and his associates, who were “intoxicated at all hours of the day”. It heard that one of the tenant’s visitors “spat” at a female resident within the development.
The tribunal heard that the tenant regularly became locked out of his apartment, having to use a ladder to gain entry through the first-floor window while intoxicated, which the landlord described as “the final straw”.
Dog and cat faeces from the tenant’s pets within the dwelling and in common areas were also causing a “foul smell”, while discoloured or damaged furnishings as a result would cost at least €6,000 to remedy, the landlord said.
The tribunal heard that the landlord feared for his safety and that of his family, though the tenant refuted the majority of the claims made, saying he has had a medical condition for the past 12 months due to which he cannot drink alcohol.
Although acknowledging his visitor had spat at another resident, the tenant said they were no longer allowed to visit, while others visited only for coffee and left within an hour or so each time.
The tenant, who had been overholding since October 2023, was found to be in breach of his tenant obligations due to antisocial behaviour, and was ordered to vacate the premises within three weeks.
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