A smallish estate of new builds nearby are selling slowly. It’s 20km outside Cork city. Are they more likely to have a higher percentage of social housing or would the council also be slow to purchase them due to poor transport links? I mean, there’s a bus but no rain cover at the stop and it’s relatively infrequent.
Landlord is evicting us to move friends in. Unregistered tenancy, eviction notice sent one day after we ( tenants) requested RTB registration to avail of rent tax credit. Reason given for eviction is needing the house for his own use, but text messages say otherwise. Date of eviction is the allowed 6 months so it looks valid.
Landlord messages this evening asking us to move 2.5 months earlier than the date on the notice of termination. I asked why and he said because we had a good relationship and he isn’t charging us market rent.
Background
Tenancy duration - July 2022 to present. Rent increased 20% from advertised rent due to “bidding war”. We have proof of the listing and the subsequent raising of rent beyond RPZ guidelines. Rent never increased since then, but if RPZ was followed we’d still be paying less.
Always paid rent on time. No antisocial behaviour. Maintaining the place to a higher standard than required (doing our own repairs at own expense). No pets or smoking as agreed.
Sept 2025 - landlord asks us to move in summer 2026. We start looking for places but they are expensive so we save for a mortgage instead
April 2026 - apply for mortgage and get underwritten AIP. Landlord contacts us asking if we are moving, he has friends who need the place. I said I don’t know but also request we are registered with RTB because revenue asked us about not having a registration number. He sends an eviction notice for September the very next day, and also registered us with RTB (4 years late!) so we got the rent credits.
May 2026 - landlord asks us to leave in July “because he gave notice in September 2025” (but it was via text message)
I reply we will try but we are awaiting a formal loan offer so can’t commit to a date earlier than the one given on the notice of termination. I’m also due to have a baby around that time and it will involve major abdominal surgery so not physically able to move house. He offers to pay for movers. I remind him it’s inappropriate to evict tenants to move friends in but he cites having a good relationship a good will etc he also said he has been asking us to leave every year but was kind enough to let us stay because of having a toddler
I feel like we could go to the RTB and claim for damages. The issues I’ve found
Penalisation of tenants for asserting their rights (registration with RTB then sending formal eviction notice the next day)
Overpayment of rent by €8200 in 4 years due to RPZ rules not being followed
Lying about reason for eviction (told RTB it’s for own use and told us it’s for friends)
My question is are there any other issues Im missing and specifically what penalties would lying to the RTB result in?
We are definitely trying to move but aren’t keen on paying even higher rent when it’s not legally or morally justified.
I did a diploma that’s €3700 but I get €1750 per year for the TSS. I was able to pay my first semester fees with the TSS and I’d like to use my second year TSS to pay the second half in July. Someone was telling me this is possible rather than enrolling in a course I don’t immediately need.