A single mother of three who said she was “doing everything” she could to find alternative accommodation has been ordered to vacate a rental property in Co Longford after overholding for almost a year.
Milda Kozyroviciute, who had been renting the property in Prospect Wood, Longford, since 2015, received a notice of termination in May 2024.
Her landlord, James Greene, who acquired the property with Kozyroviciute in situ, said he needed it for his own use.
Greene told a Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) tribunal he had transferred his house and farm to his son, adding that the rural home had become “overcrowded” and “unsuitable”.
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He said he required the property rented by Kozyroviciute for him and his wife as they are “ageing” and needed to move into Longford town for ease of access.
Noting that he was awaiting two hip replacements by the time of the hearing in January, Greene said it was no longer feasible to live on the farm.
He told the tribunal he had “done everything by the book” and had tried to treat his tenant fairly, adding he felt it was “unfair” that he could not move into the property.
He told the tribunal he had “no security of tenure” in the house he was living in, as it now belonged to his son.
His son, David Greene, told the tribunal it did not appear Kozyroviciute was “doing her utmost” to find alternative accommodation due to the time that had elapsed since the notice of termination was issued.
However, Kozyroviciute, who has lived in the area since 2008, told the tribunal she had been “trying constantly” to find an alternative, according to a tribunal report published on Friday.
The tenant said she had registered with an auctioneer in the town, had been contacting local politicians and Longford County Council, and was “asking everyone” she knew to make inquiries.
These inquiries had yielded “no results” as there were “no houses available in the area”, she said.
Noting she is a single mother of three children, Kozyroviciute said she is “doing everything” she can, adding she did not wish to cause “inconvenience or hardship” to Greene.
She told the tribunal she required a house that is big enough to accommodate her family and in the area where her children attend school.
Kozyroviciute, who said she was paying her rent and bills on time, told the tribunal she is “thinking about this every day and trying to do something about it” and was “looking for a bit more patience”.
The tribunal deemed the notice of termination valid.
Although it had “sympathy” for the tenant, it said it could “only make determinations within the parameters of the legislation” and gave Kozyroviciute 56 days to vacate the property.
“Notwithstanding the tenant’s difficulties, she is obliged to vacate the dwelling,” it said.
