Tenants pay £400-a-month to live in grim garage with sponge beds and told they can only cook instant noodles
THESE grotty images show the inside of a £400-a-month garage where tenants allegedly slept on sponge beds and were only allowed to cook instant noodles. The shocking photos appear to be a small industrial unit that has been converted into an “apartment” hidden behind a small garage door in Dublin’s city centre. The door, which […]
THESE grotty images show the inside of a £400-a-month garage where tenants allegedly slept on sponge beds and were only allowed to cook instant noodles.
The shocking photos appear to be a small industrial unit that has been converted into an “apartment” hidden behind a small garage door in Dublin’s city centre.
The door, which is also the only fire exit, is about 5ft high and tenants were forced to crouch to access the spot.
There doesn’t appear to be any vents, oven or fans, and the only source of natural light comes from a hole in the kitchen that is covered by plastic.
Four Malaysian students, three women and one man, told Dublin Live they signed a contract by a man posing as the landlord and paid a £1,633 (€1800) deposit in May 2018.
They stayed in two small twin rooms from May 15 until August 16 and paid £408 (€450) a month.
They allege the “landlord”, who is from China, barred them from cooking anything other than instant noodles and told them to throw their rubbish in a nearby hotel bin.
The students claim they requested mattresses, but say they were only given yellow sponge mats to sleep on.
The four tenants also said the “landlord” said he wasn’t going to move in but eventually he and his partner did.
‘WE WERE SCARED’
The “landlord” reportedly would go into the tenant’s rooms in the night to confront them about household issues and two of the women allege he made physical threats against them.
One told Dublin Live: “We were always afraid of what was going to happen next.
“When we moved in he told us he wasn’t going to live there, but then he gradually just started staying.
“We were allowed to cook at the start, but then as it went on he started telling us we could only make instant noodles.
“He knows where I work and recently came in and started shouting at me and staff had to keep him away.”
Dublin City Council are said to have sent a rapid response team after they were alerted to the “dwelling”.
Two of the women went to local police on separate occasions but were told their situation was for the Residential Tenancies Board.
A spokesman told Dublin Live they couldn’t comment on individual cases and said they cannot get involved in cases if a tenant and landlord live together.
The tenants claims the “landlord” is holding £1,225 (€1350) of their £1,633 deposit and claims one of the women still owe him €450.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The dispute allegedly comes as one tenant left early without paying their last month’s cut of rent and instead told the “landlord” to deduct it from part the deposit.
The “landlord” has reportedly told the other three he won’t give the deposit until he gets paid back.
The Sun Online has contacted the Dublin City Council and Residential Tenancies Board.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.