Council takes tough action on defaulting tenants

SIX tenancies have been terminated, and five repossession orders have been issued across the county by the local council in the last two years, with the majority relating to properties in Tallaght.

The local authority has carried out 11 of these actions since June 2024, with eight of them taking place in parts of Tallaght, and the other three occurring in Firhouse-Bohernabreena, Clondalkin and Palmerstown Fonthill.

The estate management unit of the housing department oversees the repossession orders while the debt management unit of the finance department work on issues regarding tenants in arrears.

All five repossession orders were issued in parts of Tallaght, granted under Section 12 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 for serious breaches of tenancy arising from anti-social behaviour.

The six terminations were noted by South Dublin County Council to be “due to persistent non-engagement and escalating rent arrears.”

Councillor Niamh Whelan welcomed the latest figures and noted that it was “positive” amidst a housing crisis.

Cllr Whelan said: “It’s a low-enough number, which is positive in a way because the last thing you want to be doing in a housing crisis is putting people out on the streets.

“I’d hope that the council would exhaust every avenue possible when there are issues with people and tenants.”

She put the high concentration of housing in the southern part of Tallaght that fell victim to termination notices and repossession orders (7) down to the amount of council housing stock in areas like Killinarden, Jobstown and Fettercairn, compared to parts of the Tallaght Central local electoral area.

However, the Tallaght Central councillor lamented several cases she has worked on over the years that have not seen results.

“I’ve worked on other cases where people are plagued with antisocial behaviour with people beside them for years and years and years, and no eviction notice has ever been given, and it’s numerous cases, more than one case that I’m working on.

“The last thing I want is people out on the streets, but there are problems that aren’t being addressed.”

Antisocial behaviour under the 2014 housing act used to issue repossession orders includes drug-related activity, violence, intimidation, harassment, threats, serious obstruction, persistent nuisance, and damage to property.

Several interventions can be carried out if a person in a council home is involved, including interviews, written warnings and ongoing monitoring – warnings remain active for a year and further breaches during that period could lead to legal proceedings.

Tenancy Warning Letters amounting to 207 were issued to tenants who failed to engage in addressing rent arrears in the past two years.

Reduced or cleared arrears account for 62 tenancies, while 139 cases are under active management and monitoring, with legal proceedings ongoing where necessary.