Two family homes among a total of 7 repossessions

TWO family homes were among the seven properties repossessed at the High Court yesterday.

In one case subprime lender Start mortgages had obtained the services of a private investigator in an attempt to trace a British national who was in arrears of over €16,000 with a total of €115,000 owed.

Presiding Justice Brian Govern heard that no payment had been made on the related mortgage since March 2009 but the investigator had failed to trace the man, a construction worker in his 50s, who was believed to have left the state and had abandoned the property.

In the case of a €400,000 mortgage a repossession order was granted for a former family home, with the borrower no longer living in the property due to a martial break-up.

Another repossession related to a family home in Galway where €31,000 arrears had been accumulated on a €95,000 mortgage and two top-up loans from the Ulster bank.

Start mortgages was granted repossession of a family home in a case that was making its twelfth appearance on the court list.

Arrears of €35,000 had been accumulated on a €180,000 mortgage with only two payments made during 2010.

Justice Govern gave a six-month stay on the repossession order noting that the term of the original mortgage “was once again” 40 years.

Another case saw a lender’s legal representative accept that some paper work relating to an application for a repossession order was incomplete

Judge Govern responded he was “not going to give any institution possession of somebody’s home unless everything is in order” and adjourned the case.

A short adjournment was granted in a case involving GE Capital Woodchester who was seeking possession of a property which had suffered severe flood damage due to burst pipes during the recent cold weather. The defendant was believed to have gone to Britain, leaving behind €36,000 in arrears.

Judge Govern said as it was the case’s first appearance he would not grant the order, despite the condition of the property.

The case of a woman from Clare, who had amassed arrears of €26,700 and owed €218,000 in total to Stepstone mortgages to buy property adjacent to the family home, was adjourned until March. Her barrister said she was committed to meeting the liability through the sale of a property in Lanqudoc, in France, valued at €200,000.