Landlord ‘perfectly entitled’ to change locks at hair salon, court hears

The landlord of a hair and beauty salon operator was perfectly and legally entitled to re-enter the premises and change the locks, the High Court has been told.

Peter McLaughlin says he is in dispute with Sinéad Connolly, who has operated the Sin É Hair and Beauty Salon for a decade from unit two at the Charlesland shopping centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow, over some €77,000 in arrears of rent.

Last week, Ms Connolly, of West Courtyard, Tullyvale, Cherrywood, Co Dublin, asked the court for various orders, including one allowing her and her staff temporarily back into their workplace so they can access the salon's equipment.

She also wants to be let back into the property for the next four weeks to deal with the salon’s customers.

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She brought the action after agents of her landlord entered the salon premises and changed the locks.

She told the court she has secured a new premises where she plans to operate her business from that would not be ready for another month.

The premises in the shopping centre had remained shut during the lockdown.

When the matter returned before Mr Justice Senan Allen on Monday, he was told Mr McLaughlin, represented by Eoghan Cole, had not broken back into the premises as alleged.

In a sworn statement, Mr McLaughlin said he had engaged the services of a security company and peaceably re-entered the property, which he was fully and legally entitled to do.

The court heard the landlord was quite happy to make arrangements to allow Ms Connolly to collect all her business’s possessions and equipment from the property.

Mr Justice Allen adjourned the matter to later this week to allow Ms Connolly fully consider and reply, if she wishes, to Mr McLoughlin’s affidavit.

The judge, in reply to Ms Connolly, representing herself in the proceedings, said it was a matter between the parties if the applicant could go back into the property for a further four weeks.

He suggested this was something Ms Connolly should ask her landlord about as it was not a matter for the court.

Last week, the court heard Ms Connolly and her four staff have been unable to access the premises since the locks were changed. It was also accepted the parties are in dispute over alleged rent arrears of €77,000.