A tenant who claimed to be a HSE The employee, and whose owners believed she had falsified her name and business information, was ordered to vacate a property in Co. Kerry after failing to verify his identity.

Landlords Susanne and John Meares entered into a tenancy with a person named Denise Roche in October 2023, who told them she was employed by the HSE, they told a Residential Tenancies Commission tribunal.

After finding that rent payments were “coming in slowly”, the couple discovered that the tenant’s payments were coming from a Revolut account in Denise O’Brien’s name.

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After searching the name online, they noted that a woman of the same name had a criminal conviction for fraud, adding that they had seen photographs of Ms. O’Brien in newspaper articles covering her trial that matched the tenant.

In 2015, a woman named Denyse O’Brien pleaded guilty to fraud worth €3,000 after using a friend’s mother’s credit card.

After raising the question of the tenant’s identity, the landlords claimed she was “evasive” and had left a voicemail claiming her name was in fact Denise O’Regan Roche.

Mrs and Mr Meares did not initially pursue the matter as the tenant informed them she was moving out. However, the tenant then gave numerous later move out dates and did not vacate the property.

The landlords then sent a warning letter in May saying she had breached her obligations as a tenant by failing to inform them in writing of her identity, claiming she had given a false name and professional information.

They gave the tenant six days to provide details of their HSE work and a passport or driving license matching the name Denise O’Regan Roche.

The owners informed the tenant that they had the right to serve a notice of termination with a deadline of 28 days to vacate the residence if she did not provide the requested documents.

After the tenant failed to provide the requested information, its agent issued a notice of termination on May 15 with a vacancy date set for June 12.

The owners told the court that neighbors had not seen anyone enter or leave the property for more than two weeks, adding that the lights had been turned off and the blinds had not been adjusted.

A week before the court hearing, the homeowners said they looked through the windows of the house in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, and claimed to see “rubbish all over the floor, including food”.

They further claimed the property was in a “state of disarray” with flies inside, adding that they feared it could be dangerous and attract rodents.

Mrs and Mr Meares said they were also “concerned” about the property’s neighbors.

Shortly before the hearing, the owners said they received an email from the tenant stating that she had not left the apartment and telling them not to enter.

At the time of the hearing in August, the tenant had not paid his rent for more than three months.

The court said it was satisfied that six days was a reasonable time to allow the tenant to provide the requested documents, “taking into account the importance of identity verification”.

The tenant, who did not participate in the mediation or attend the hearing, was ordered by the court to vacate the accommodation within 21 days and to pay €4,411.70 in rent arrears.