Dublin Student Wins €7k Over Landlord’s ‘Dining Table’ Bill

Student Awarded Over €7,000 After Landlord’s ‘Extraordinary’ Dining Table Fee

A French student studying in Ireland has been awarded more than €7,000 in damages after his landlords subjected him to a campaign of harassment that included a 17-page invoice charging him for studying at the dining table. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) described the landlords’ conduct as a “very severe” breach of the student’s rights, culminating in threatening emails and an illegal eviction.

Laurent Stacchetti arrived in Ireland in 2023 to pursue his studies at Maynooth University. He found what he believed to be a suitable living arrangement, agreeing to rent a room in a house in Clonsilla, Dublin 15, from landlords Gabriela and Michael Hennigan for a monthly rent of €850. Mr Stacchetti understood he would be sharing the property with other students. However, the landlords, who were primarily based in Poland, were unable to secure other long-term tenants and instead chose to let the remaining rooms on the short-term rental platform, Airbnb.

An unconventional arrangement was struck. In exchange for being exempt from certain utility bills, Mr Stacchetti agreed to assist with some tasks related to the Airbnb guests. He lived in the property alongside the landlords’ daughter. What began as a seemingly practical agreement soon descended into a source of significant stress for the student.

A Tenancy Unravels

According to evidence presented to the RTB tribunal, the requests from Ms Hennigan to perform tasks for guests became relentless. Mr Stacchetti described the calls and messages as “constant,” submitting phone records that showed, on some occasions, more than 20 calls in quick succession. He told the tribunal that while he often carried out the requested tasks “for fear of reprisal,” the demands became increasingly unreasonable. One evening, he was asked to leave the house late at night to print a label for an item Ms Hennigan wished to return, a request he refused.

The relationship between tenant and landlord deteriorated sharply over the busy St Patrick’s weekend. With approximately ten Airbnb guests staying at the property, Ms Hennigan formed the view that Mr Stacchetti was being “disrespectful” and “unhelpful.” She later claimed to the tribunal that his perceived “lack of help” had directly led to bad reviews from guests and a subsequent loss of income for her business. It was this belief that seemingly prompted her to take punitive and extraordinary measures against her tenant.

The 17-Page Invoice

While Mr Stacchetti was visiting his family in France during the Easter break, the situation escalated dramatically. He received an email from Ms Hennigan containing a 17-page invoice demanding a payment of €5,255.50. The email came with a stark warning: he would be denied access to his room and his belongings unless the bill was paid in full. The tribunal would later describe the document as “quite extraordinary.”

The bill itemised a bizarre list of charges. Mr Stacchetti was charged for the use of the dining room table for studying, with the landlord insisting he should have used his bedroom instead. He was also charged for each time his girlfriend was believed to have visited the property, with Ms Hennigan claiming she had been informed of these visits by neighbours and cleaners. Further charges were levied for his girlfriend’s use of the dining table to eat a meal, and for Mr Stacchetti’s own use of the fridge. Defending these charges, Ms Hennigan told the tribunal that, “just like a hotel,” there are charges for “additional amenities.” The invoice also included costs for professional cleaning undertaken to prepare the house for incoming Airbnb guests, a clear business expense the landlords attempted to pass on to their tenant.

Escalation and Threats

When Mr Stacchetti did not immediately respond to the demand for payment, he was met with what the tribunal called a “relentless barrage of increasingly aggressive emails.” The correspondence, described as “abusive and incessant,” included explicit threats. In one email dated March 31st, Ms Hennigan wrote: “We are going to do whatever it takes to pull every single pence out of you, even if it involves our physical presence in your apartment in France as you will not be manipulating and arrogantly ignoring our demands to pay.”

She followed through on her threat to deny him access, informing him that the locks had been changed and adding a taunt: it was “in your arrogant arse best interest – trust us as we live longer in this world than you.” The landlords then advertised Mr Stacchetti’s room on Airbnb. In a move that caused the student “extreme embarrassment, stress and upset,” Ms Hennigan also contacted Maynooth University, falsely alleging that he owed her and her husband a significant sum of money. She later claimed that she had recalculated the amount owed, which had since risen to an astonishing €14,565.50.

Tribunal Delivers Scathing Verdict

The RTB tribunal found comprehensively in favour of the student. It concluded that the landlords had attempted to unilaterally impose an entirely different type of commercial arrangement on the tenancy after the fact, and then sought to “blame him when things did not run smoothly with the Airbnb business.”

The tribunal reserved its strongest condemnation for the landlords’ harassment. It deemed the threatening emails and the decision to change the locks as “most egregious.” The overall conduct was ruled to be a “very severe” breach of Mr Stacchetti’s right to peaceful occupation of his home. Consequently, the tribunal ordered Gabriela and Michael Hennigan to pay their former tenant €3,500 in damages for this breach. A further €3,500 in damages was awarded for the unlawful termination of the tenancy. Finally, the board ordered the immediate return of Mr Stacchetti’s unlawfully retained security deposit of €850, bringing the total amount payable to the student to €7,850.