The tenants facing masss eviction from Tathony House in Dublin 8 say they are not leaving the block on their eviction day, Friday June 2.
Instead the remaining households say they plan to hold a rally outside the block at noon.
The families remaining in Tathony House include a taxi driver, his wife and 3 children, a recovering lung cancer patient, a community worker, a nurse and her child, a shop worker, IT worker and councillor.
The mass eviction is currently being debated at the Residential Tenancies Board where tenants are arguing that the landlord should not be allowed use the “loopsholes” in the Tyrellstown Amendment – this clause forbids the eviciton of more than 10 tenancies unless the landlord can prove that sale with tenants in situ would cause him “hardship”.
The RTB case reconvenes on June 6th and 7th.
Protests by tenants have led to Dublin City Council contacting the landlord on five occasions to discuss sale of the building to an Approved Housing Body – but so far the landlord, Ronan McDonnell, has refused to engage with DCC.
Tenants say the whole situation could be resolved if the landlord would sell the block to the council, make his money and leave families in their homes.
Tenant James O’Toole said:
“I don’t understand why the landlord won’t engage with the council, they’d pay him the vacant possession price, he could retire with millions in his bank account and he wouldn’t have to kick families, children into certain homelessness!”
Cllr Madeleine Johansson, also a Tathony tenant, said:
“We need the government to do more to get landlords to engage with the tenant in situ scheme, especially in a case of mass eviction of tenants into emergency accommodation as is happening at Tathony House!”
The landlord wants families out this Friday, June 2nd.
Tenants say they will rally outside at noon at Tahony House Bow Lane West Dublin 8.