LANDLORD & TENANT

LANDLORD & TENANT

Intimidation by Landlord

A tenant took a case to the Workplace Relations Commission with a complaint that she was being intimidated by her landlord over rent. The tenant said that she was able to meet the full rent sought by the landlord without the household assistance payment (HAP) for a time between 2020 and 2021 with the help of her terminally ill husband. However, after her husband died in September 2021, she was unable to keep paying the full rent. She sought the HAP assistance, but the landlord refused to sign the HAP papers. The landlord told the tenant that he did not do business with HAP.

At the hearing, the landlord did not attend but text messages from him to the tenant were admitted in evidence.

Evidence was given that the landlord wanted to comply with HAP, but he could not because the Revenue would not issue him with a tax clearance certificate.

It was submitted to the hearing that the landlord wrote repeatedly to the tenant telling her that he was ‘unable to get HAP due to his status with the Revenue’ and asked the tenant to pay the balance or leave.

The tenant continued to pay her contribution directly to the landlord but then he started calling to her door asking for the full amount.

The tenant found the landlord to be very intimidating.

The Commission ordered the landlord to pay €15,000 in compensation to his tenant. 

Magdalena Kotecka v Michael Woodlock Flancare WRC Ref. No. ADJ-00038037.