Family hopes stance empowers others in arrears

A man whose family is facing eviction said he hopes their decision to go public will give thousands of other families in mortgage arrears the strength to take a stand.

Martin O’Sullivan, whose plight was raised in the Dáil yesterday, thanked the public last night for their support as legal efforts to appeal their eviction from their home in the Dún an Óir estate in Kanturk, Co Cork, intensified.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response. People have been calling and driving up to the house saying ‘congratulations’ and saying they hope everything works out for us,” he said.

“Even if nothing comes out of this for us, then I hope other people who are in a similar situation will see that we’ve done it, and it might give them strength.

“We hope it will give others the strength to take a stand. How many tens of thousands of families like us are out there?”

Martin, who was a self-employed plumber, paid a €110,000 deposit on the house in 2007, and took out a €150,000 mortgage loan from Permanent TSB.

When his business was hit by the economic collapse, the family remortgaged the property with Start Mortgages, securing a €180,000 loan which they used to pay off business debts.

They met their repayments for a few months but when Martin found himself out of work, the family fell into mortgage arrears. They have not met their mortgage repayments for two years but after Martin landed a new job in recent months, they offered to pay up to €400 per month to the lender.

Martin said Start rejected this offer and secured a repossession order without challenge.

Court documents show Start issued proceedings against the O’Sullivans in early Dec 2010, and that a possession order was made in Mar 2013, which was renewed on May 22 last.

Protesters, including members of Anti Eviction Ireland and Independent Resistance, thwarted the execution of a repossession order on the home on Tuesday. They have vowed to maintain their vigil outside the home 24/7.

Gardaí called to the house yesterday morning and told occupants they were keeping a watching brief to maintain the peace. They also told protesters that cameras, phones, and other video equipment could be confiscated if they were used to record an arrest.

It emerged later that Start has indicated that is not prepared to row back on its plans to repossess the couples’ home.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Áine Collins, spoke to Start chief executive Alan Casey about the situation yesterday.

He was not available for comment last night, but Ms Collins said he told her that Start felt it had no option but to embark on the repossession process after two years of protracted negotiations with the couple failed.

Ms Collins said Start’s view is that repossession is a move of last resort. “It is a harrowing situation that a family with three young kids are being evicted from their home,” she said.

“But the company is acting within the law. My heart goes out to the family but there is no indication that Start Mortgages will row back on this.”

She plans to meet the couple today to discuss the situation.

Noel Walsh, a member of Independent Resistance’s legal team, who has been authorised by the O’Sullivans to act for them, ruled out the insolvency route and said he is preparing an appeal to the repossession order.

“We have requested certain documentation from Start, their legal representatives, and the county sheriff, and as soon as we get that we plan to lodge the appeal,” he said. “We are ruling out insolvency because there is a clear offer on the table. “Leaving the family in the family home will ensure they won’t become a burden on the other arms of the State. “Neither the bank nor the Government is thinking logically about this entire situation. “There are some 184,000 people in the same boat and nothing is being done about it politically.”

Meals on wheels volunteers delivered food and drinks to the protesters, Kanturk Co-Op dropped off milk and butter, and a local man delivered a bag full of bread and meat for sandwiches.