A MOTHER-of-four was renting her house to tenants despite telling a court that she was living alone, having been abandoned by her husband and unable to pay the mortgage.
The details, described as an “estrangement of the truth” by solicitors for Permanent TSB, emerged at a recent sitting of Limerick’s Repossession Court.
County Registrar Pat Wallace said he was surprised to be told that when the bank went to the property to serve papers on the woman, they found that a married couple had been tenants in the property for more than a year.
The woman had fallen more than €91,000 into arrears with her repayments and had a total mortgage debt of more than €266,000.
At a court hearing last May, Mr Wallace was told she was living alone in the house and struggling to repay her mortgage.
An order to repossess the home by PTSB was refused and Mr Wallace encouraged the woman to engage with the debt resolution process.
However, after she failed to engage with the bank or independent advisors, PTSB reissued their application to take possession of the home.
Following several adjournments, the case was back before the courts with PTSB solicitors informing Mr Wallace that the woman hadn’t lived at the property for some time.
“We called there and found tenants at the property. They told us that the landlord doesn’t collect post, doesn’t call and only engages by text.
“She now has huge arrears and the last payment of €200 was made in July 2013. The normal monthly repayment is €1,051.  It is unacceptable to mislead the court as she said she was living there with four young children but this is not true.
“When we called, it came as a surprise to both us and the tenant.”
The court heard that the woman was separated and her former husband had never appeared before the courts.
During the proceedings, a letter was handed in from the woman stating that she was unable be able to attend the hearing.
Mr Wallace adjourned the case for two months and asked that every effort be made to have the woman before the court.
“I will consider granting the repossession order then. She told MABS that she lived there, she told everyone she was living there. We are weary of this lady as we don’t think she is being upfront,” he said.
