Rogue landlord eviction
Deputy O'Callaghan described a tenant allegedly evicted after complaining about secret CCTV surveillance and cited wider concerns about landlord Marc Godart's practices. The Minister condemned the behaviour, noted RTB, council and court involvement, and said secret surveillance and retaliatory eviction are unacceptable.
I wish to ask the Minister about rogue landlords. Salvador Chavez Morales, a computer engineer, was left short of food and at risk of becoming homeless after he was evicted by landlord Marc Godart. What had Salvador done to prompt this eviction? He had made a complaint about being recorded in his home live on CCTV cameras and was evicted as a result. Marc Godart is renting out 208 beds across 19 properties in Dublin city centre. In one property alone on Cork Street, 33 beds are being rented out. The Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, has made multiple rulings against Godart. Fire safety notices have been issued against multiple properties that he rents. Damages owed to tenants have been left unpaid. He is operating with complete and utter impunity. Apart from the properties he owns, he has no connection with Ireland at all. He has simply spotted the opportunity to exploit our lax regulation and very weak protections for renters. What is the Minister going to do to stop rogue landlords like Marc Godart from flouting the law and exploiting renters?
Comment on this
This is a horrendous case. I have read about it and I am aware of it as well. I know there is a matter before the courts now. From what I have read, the behaviour of the particular landlord mentioned by the Deputy has certainly been absolutely horrendous. The RTB, as the Deputy knows, has been heavily involved. It is a matter that Dublin City Council has also been involved in as well. The matter is also before the courts. Secret surveillance of tenants is absolutely precluded and should not happen. It should never happen. The fact that a tenant makes a complaint and is then illegally evicted is outrageous. This matter has been and is being dealt with by the RTB and by the courts.