‘I couldn’t go home to say goodbye to my father’ - tenant illegally evicted from home takes court action

A company connected to landlord Marc Godart has been ordered by a court to pay €15,400 to a tenant who experienced an “horrendous” eviction. Dublin District Court heard how Lizet Pena-Herrera had all her belongings - including her immigration papers, father’s death certificate and valuable jewellery - packed up while she was at work and moved to another premises. Ms Pena-Herrera, who is originally from Bolivia and first moved to Ireland in 2008, was illegally evicted from an apartment she rented in Cork Street, Dublin 8 last year. The landlord company Green Label Short Lets, of which Mr Godart is a director, claimed in the eviction notice that it was selling the property. However, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) found that the eviction was an act of penalisation after Ms Pena-Herrera raised concerns about overcrowding in the property with Dublin City Council.