Up to 15 tenants renting a Dublin house at the centre of a dispute between a vulture fund and the owners have been given a month to move out.

The property is in an affluent part of south Dublin where family homes regularly sell for more than €1m.

The tenants, from Brazil, have been renting the four- bedroom house in Avoca Park, Blackrock, for €350 a month plus bills.

Tenants had been paying rent to a mystery middleman who texted them this week to say they had to move out by March 15.

One renter, Diego, had only been living there for a week when he was told he would have to vacate.

"I am moving out next week as I have found somewhere else to stay," he said. "We were told we have to get out."

With each tenant paying €350, the house would have been generating more than €5,000 each month in rent.

The property is currently the subject of a dispute between a financial fund and the owners, Paul White and Jane Gleeson of Roney Beach, Gorey, Co Wexford.

On Thursday the High Court granted an injunction to Everyday Finance DAC for possession of the property pending the full hearing of the action.

Everyday Finance claims the property is the subject of a mortgage executed in consideration of loans advanced by AIB. It is claimed €3m is due and owing under those loans.

The plaintiffs claimed approximately 15 people are living there and the owners had not co-operated with the receivers.

In reply, Mr White told the court the premises had been let since 2002, with the knowledge of AIB, to a single tenant.

Mr White said he was unaware there were 15 people living there and said he did not know how the property came to be occupied by anyone else.

Independent.ie spoke to tenants in the house, who are now stressing about having to find somewhere else to live in the middle of a housing crisis.

They said three communal rooms in the house were converted into bedrooms and they came across an advert for the property on Facebook.

Tenants Renato and Nathan, who are originally from Brazil, said they had been paying rent to a middleman, who appears to be subletting a number of other properties in the capital.

In a text to tenants, the mystery man wrote: "We have decided that it is best not to renew the contract with the owners. So we will be refunding everyone's deposit on the 15th of March.

"We don't want to be involved with the conflict between the owners and the banks and we don't want our tenants to have to deal with that.

"For these reasons we need to give everyone 28 days to find other accommodation. All our other properties have no issues with the banks. So we can show you other properties we have if you would like to stay with us or if you want to find other accommodation that is no problem.

"We can provide you with very good landlord reference letters as well for anyone who wants to find their own accommodation."

The house was advertised for rent in 2016 for €3,900 a month and described as a "lovely double-fronted modern detached home tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac."

It is understood the couple had been living in the house for a number of years before letting it out in 2002.

One of the female tenants in the house said she came across an advert for it in a Facebook group used to find accommodation in Ireland.

"We were told we will get our deposits back," she said.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the HSE had inspected the property but were not taking any enforcement action, it was noted in court on Thursday.

Mr Justice Mark Sanfey said none of the parties seems to be aware of the situation regarding rent, although it had been claimed the defendants "continue to derive a substantial income" from the premises. The defending couple are arguing that the receivers were not validly appointed in 2017.

It was also claimed there was no debt due and owing by Ms Gleeson and she was entitled to the benefit of rent or any other form of payment in respect of her interest in the property.

In his judgment, the judge said he was satisfied the plaintiffs had shown a strong case likely to succeed at the full trial of the action.

Taking all the circumstances into account, he said it was appropriate to make orders enabling the fund and receivers to take possession of the property.

The judge noted the couple do not reside at the property and it was not disputed that Mr White is in substantial arrears.

The current situation, with an estimated 15 people living at the property, was "completely unsatisfactory", he said.

Paul White was contacted for comment.