Galway Tenants Charged €14,000 in Service Fees Recover Only €2,000 After RTB Appeal
A Galway couple was charged nearly €14,000 in service fees over a year, receiving only €2,000 back after an RTB appeal. This case highlights calls from Sinn Féin and a tenants' union for clearer rent definitions and regulations to prevent landlords from circumventing rent controls through additional charges.
A couple in Galway city was charged nearly €14,000 in service charges over a year, amounting to almost €1,200 monthly, in addition to their rent. After appealing to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), they received only €2,000 back in a mediation settlement.
Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, highlighted this case as demonstrating an urgent need for a clearer definition of rent in the Residential Tenancies Act, advocating for all charges, including service charges, to be covered by rent regulations. He warned that landlords could use service charges to circumvent rent regulations. The Community Action and Tenants' Union (Catu) also criticized these charges, stating they undermine rent protections and allow landlords to bypass rent controls.
The tenants, two professionals renting an apartment from June 2024 to July 2025, initially agreed to pay €2,300 per month (€1,136 rent plus €1,164 service charge). They later disputed the service charge, which the landlord's agent claimed covered bins, parking, and staff, and argued it should not be subject to Rental Pressure Zone rules. The tenants countered that the charge was mandatory, lacked itemized breakdowns, and was an attempt to bypass rent caps. The RTB mediated, resulting in the landlord agreeing to pay the tenants €2,000.