‘One of the most traumatic incidents in relation to housing’ – 36 Wexford families facing eviction play waiting game

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Despite an insistence from Housing Minister James Browne that no landlords will be allowed to “breach the rules” under his watch, the fear and foreboding felt by the residents of Hazelwood in Bridgetown, Co Wexford had not dissipated by Monday afternoon.

Since being informed on Friday evening that their tenancies were to be terminated, and they were to be evicted from their homes, the residents of Hazelwood’s 36 houses have been unable to sleep, unable to eat, as they desperately search for ways out of what one described as a “living hell”.

However, as they waited outside the local FDYS building, where Wexford County Council’s (WCC) housing staff had arranged a special clinic to discuss the options available to those set to lose their homes, Minister Browne’s comments offered a sliver of light where none had been before.

Having confirmed that he was “monitoring the situation very closely” and that he suspected there may be a “number of grounds under our current rules that may have been breached,” it was hoped Minister Browne would come to Bridgetown to speak directly to those affected by the decision taken by Patchflow Ltd, the company which owns the 36 properties.

As the residents shuffled around in the cold, patiently listening out for their names to be called, the rumour that the Housing Minister was on his way quickly evaporated, much to the annoyance of one of the affected couples.

Ronan Kavanagh and Ashling Keating aren’t eligible for social housing supports as they are both in full-time employment, but they had turned up at the clinic in the hope of being given some information, some hope, as they await an update from landlord Martin Sinnott, the man behind Patchflow Ltd.

“Well, I'm kind of confused right now,” admitted Ronan as he emerged from a series of lengthy discussions with WCC’s housing staff. “Compared to Friday though, things are a little bit better. But we still don’t know where we stand, not at all. We’re not due out until October, we still have a bit of time, but it's still very hard you know.”

Isabel Doheny has not been living in Hazelwood for long, only two months, but she stands to lose as much as anyone if she is forced out onto a rental market which doesn’t exist. With a “severely autistic” three-year-old son who has just begun to flourish, she now has genuine fears of being forced to live in a hostel, of her son’s progress being stymied at the worst possible time.

“I’ve been told I’m out by May 30. We’ll end up in a hostel if I can’t find alternative accommodation and my son will lose his place in the early intervention special class he’s in. He started in September, he’s completely non-verbal, has had no real communication, but he has come on leaps and bounds since starting there, is doing lámh signs, is pointing and hand-leading us.

"The thought of him losing that place absolutely terrifies me, it’s so hard to get children into special classes at the moment – the possible regression could change his life.”

Having moved to Co Wexford with her partner to start a new life, Isabel’s situation is complicated by the fact she is not on the social housing list here.

“We moved down here for my partner’s job, we wanted to make a better life for our family, but we’ve been thrown around and bounced to different places ever since we’ve come here. Everything has changed now because of the new laws, to be able to afford to pay such substantial rents is just impossible. We have one income, I’m a carer for my son. The people on housing assistance payment (HAP) may get help from the council but the rest of us will be left to the wolves.”

Labour TD for Wexford, George Lawlor was in attendance, and he said the Residential Tenancies Board’s (RTB) comments regarding the Tyrellstown Agreement provided the families in Hazelwood with a degree of protection.

The RTB stated on Monday that it has written to Patchflow Ltd to “remind them of their obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act and the Tyrrellstown Amendment” which advises that eviction notices cannot be served on more than 10 properties in the same development, except in very limited circumstances. This amendment was brought in to “protect tenants from losing their homes due to large-scale property sales”.

“The other piece of the Tyrellstown Agreement that wasn't clear but has appeared to have been clarified just today by the Minister was that where a new landlord takes over he must adhere to the previous terms and conditions of the previous tenancy agreement,” said Deputy Lawlor. “So, that provides the surety and uncertainty that is required by the tenants here. It's been a distressing time. You also have to ask the question, why was the current owners of these 36 properties issuing notices to quit on the eve of this new legislation?”

Under the new legislation, landlords must keep rent-price increases capped at 2pc, or the rate of inflation annually. In the case of new tenancies, however, owners can reset it to the market rate with no limit. Any tenancies started after Sunday, will have a fixed minimum duration of six years and will also include more stringent rules around eviction.

And Deputy Lawlor said Mr Sinnott should make his motives for the notices clear.

“What were his motives? I think he has to clarify that. But as it stands, this is very, very solvable, and I think the trauma that the people have been put through was grossly unfair.

"This is one of the most traumatic incidents I've seen in relation to housing in my tenure as a public rep and that's over 21 years.

“These aren't just any old normal families we're talking about. There's a woman with terminal cancer, there are people with young children, I spoke to one man who lost his job on Friday. He was made redundant on Friday, and he arrived home to find the termination of his tenancy in the post.”

Since the news of the evictions broke on Friday evening, Cllr Lisa McDonald, who is a solicitor by trade, has been helping and assisting the residents with the reams of paperwork and forms presented to them. And she reiterated Minister Browne’s comments regarding any breaches of the law.

“Any landlord that breaches the law will have to face the rigours of the RTB,” she said. “In this instance it appears that the Tyrellstown Agreement amendment has been breached. There are exceptions in the Act, but I have no evidence that this landlord meets them. Therefore, it appears to me that there is a breach and that will have to be heard in the RTB sometime in the distant future. He will have to come to that hearing and prove to the RTB that he is a hardship case.

“In the short term, the residents will be staying put. They won't have to move until that RTB determination has been heard.”

Requesting that Mr Sinnott “come to the table, discuss this, negotiate with us", Cllr McDonald said she would continue to work with all the residents of Hazelwood as they come to terms with what remains an uncertain future.

“I know there's still an awful lot of upset, shock, angst. And uncertainty is there in the back of their minds. I don't think people trust each other any more, you know? There are people who are just in dire straits and in terrible circumstances. There's one lady who's very, very sick with cancer and there are people who have lost their jobs recently.

“There's a myriad of a cross-sectional society here affected by this, so there's no one solution fits all here.”

Cllr Aoife Rose O’Brien has been working round the clock to support and assist the families impacted by the evictions. “We should call for an emergency piece of legislation to protect, not just these families, but every other family who could potentially be in this situation.

“This episode underlines that there’s no security for people, we’re going through a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis, and a mental health crisis, and that’s a big concern for me, what these people have endured over the last 48 hours has been horrific. The impact this weekend has had on them is going to sit with them, that fear will stay with them. I’m a renter myself, I know what it’s like not to own your own front-door.”

Calling upon Mr Sinnott to speak to the people regarding his intentions, Cllr O’Brien compared the director of Patchwork Ltd to an ethereal being.

“The ‘ghost man’ as we call him,” she said. “We haven’t heard any statement yet, and I wouldn’t be hopeful of getting one.”

As mothers with babies in pushchairs, adults with their elderly parents, and older kids in their school uniforms, gathered outside the FDYS, disposable cups of tea and coffee clasped to their chests, more and more stories emerged, stories of lives potentially torn asunder by the stroke of a pen.