Tenant Wins €23,000 After Landlords Send Eviction Notices

A tenant in Ireland has been awarded €23,000 in compensation after his landlords issued eviction notices during a dispute over the State Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). The ruling, announced by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), found in favor of William Gallagher based on claims of discrimination and victimisation against his landlords, Jenny Brennan and Matthew Hannigan, who rented a property in Co Kildare.

The adjudicator’s decision, published on a Thursday in late 2025, highlighted that the landlords’ actions were “at the more serious end of the scale.” Mr. Gallagher had incurred a financial loss of €15,000 due to the landlords’ refusal to sign the necessary forms for HAP, which would have covered part of his rent. The WRC found that the landlords denied the allegations of discrimination and victimisation, claiming they had a prior agreement with Mr. Gallagher not to apply for the state support.

The case began when Mr. Gallagher informed his landlords that they were legally obliged to complete the HAP application. Following this, he received an eviction notice just eight days after initiating legal action. According to the testimony presented during the hearing, the landlords still owned the property and had not sold it as they claimed.

In December 2023, Kildare County Council approved HAP assistance of €1,012 monthly towards Mr. Gallagher’s €1,300 rent. The WRC heard that after Mr. Gallagher submitted the HAP form to his landlords on January 1 or 2, 2024, communication between him and Ms. Brennan became contentious. She stated that they had agreed not to fill out the landlord section of the form due to plans to sell. Mr. Gallagher contested this assertion, declaring that no such agreement was ever made.

During the tribunal, Ms. Brennan acknowledged that in December 2024, when asked by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), she did not complete the HAP form because she had “more valid things to focus on.” She eventually submitted the completed form to Kildare County Council in February 2025. Mr. Gallagher began receiving HAP payments on April 28, 2025, a significant delay from his initial request.

In her findings, adjudication officer Valerie Murtagh described Mr. Gallagher as a “very credible witness,” corroborated by documentation presented during the hearing. She noted that he faced “significant financial and personal strain” while managing his rent without HAP. Ms. Murtagh concluded that the landlords’ refusal and subsequent delay in signing the HAP form constituted discrimination against Mr. Gallagher.

The tribunal awarded Mr. Gallagher the maximum legal compensation of €15,000 for the financial loss incurred due to the unlawful delay in processing his HAP application. Additionally, a further €8,000 was awarded for penalisation stemming from the eviction notices issued after he began legal proceedings. This brings the total compensation to €23,000.

This ruling emphasizes the protections afforded to tenants under the Equal Status Act 2000 and highlights the consequences for landlords who unlawfully refuse to comply with state housing support obligations.