The house where up to 70 tenants were living Inset: Christian Carter

The landlords of a house where up to 70 tenants once lived have yet to pay the local authority’s legal costs of up to €60,000, Independent.ie can reveal.

Christian Carter and Richard Stanley were ordered by the Circuit Civil Court last February to pay Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council’s legal costs after it was revealed how The Pines, Cabinteely, Co Dublin was being dangerously overcrowded.

The matter was brought before the courts following an undercover investigation by Independent.ie.

A spokesperson for the council said it is still "pursuing the recovery of its legal costs from the defendants in this matter".

It was estimated in court that their legal expenses would run close to the €60,000 mark.

Our investigation uncovered how tenants had no written leases, rent was paid cash-in-hand and up to 36 people slept in the basement.

There were only two showers between 70 people in the five-bedroom property.

Carter, who is involved in the running of up to 40 properties across Dublin, could not be reached for comment as his two original mobile numbers are no longer in use.

Richard Stanley (86) could also not be reached for comment.

The Circuit Civil Court heard that Carter had been paying Richard Stanley’s son, Dermot, €2,000 a month by bankers order and €2,000 in cash to sublet The Pines.

Judge Linnane heard that in turn Dermot Stanley, who lives in London, was paying his father Richard, who owns the house, €2,000 a month.

Judge Linnane said that if 50 people had been paying €50 a week each to Mr Carter he would have been receiving €10,000 a month. Sixty tenants would have been paying him more than €12,000 a month. At an earlier hearing it was estimated Carter had been collecting up to €16,000 a month in rent.

The house was ordered to be vacated following the court case.

Online Editors