The Workplace Relations Commission ordered landlord Mr Aidan Corless to pay Irfanullah Refah €10,000 after finding that a message he sent to his tenant amounted to race discrimination. Adjudication Officer Marie Flynn's decision was dated 19 July 2024.
Refah had asked Corless to address problems in the rented apartment, including damp, mould and a bathroom ceiling that collapsed. Corless said he believed Refah was in the apartment illegally and sent the message in frustration; he apologised for it.
The adjudicator found that the message referring to sending Refah out of the country and checking his entry papers treated him less favourably than an Irish tenant in a similar situation would have been treated. The race discrimination complaint was upheld. The separate harassment complaint was not well founded because it relied on the same facts.