County council granted possession order

Roscommon County Council has been granted a possession order for one of its houses in Roscommon Town.

Judge James Faughnan said that there was a housing shortage and declined to adjourn the meeting or put a stay on the order.

The judge also granted costs against the man who was living at the property.

The court was told that there are currently 742 people, including transfers, on the council’s housing waiting list, with 255 indicating a preference for housing in the county town area.

Of the people on the housing waiting list, 32 are aged 60 or over.

A sitting of Roscommon District Court last week heard from solicitor for the council Cian Nihill that a Mr Mihai Petrovici was staying in number 11 The Maisonettes, St Coman’s Park, in the county town, and that he had no entitlement to be there.

The house is specifically designed for older people and those with mobility issues.

Mr Petrovici, who is aged in his 30s and has no disabilities, was present earlier in the sitting but was not present in court when the hearing was taking place.

Housing officer Martina Flanagan, in her evidence, said that Mr Petrovici was the nephew of the previous tenant, who had passed away in March 2025.

When an official from the council went to the property, it appeared that someone else — Mr Petrovici — was living there.

He was asked to present at the council and make an application for social housing. The council also advised that he would have to leave the property and return the keys, which he failed to do.

At a subsequent meeting with the council, Mr Petrovici alleged that the council had lost his application, which Ms Flanagan said was not the case.

He also said that he would continue to live at the address.

In July of last year, Mr Petrovici received a letter of final warning to leave the premises within two weeks or legal proceedings would be commenced.

Judge Faughnan said that Mr Petrovici was effectively squatting in the property and asked whether the council had taken any measures, such as changing the locks and boarding up the windows, to secure the property and to protect itself from an insurance point of view.

The court heard that Mr Petrovici technically already had a tenancy with the council with his former partner, and the council had made attempts to contact him so that the tenancy could be dispensed with.

Hearing the evidence, Judge Faughnan granted the application and the council’s costs of €1,500 plus Vat.

*Published under the Courts Reporting Scheme