Councillor Rita McInerney ordered to repay €5,100 after RTB ruling

West Clare Fianna Fáil councillor Rita McInerney has been ordered by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to repay €5,100 to her tenants following a tribunal decision that a recent rent review was invalid.

The RTB tribunal found that the rent increase, which more than doubled the previous amount, did not reflect market rent for the five‑bedroom detached house on Main Street in Doonbeg. The tenants, Bartosz Milinski and Marta Kostanowicz, had been paying €650 per month.

In March 2025, McInerney sought to raise the rent to €1,500 per month and later served a termination notice, claiming she needed the property for her own occupation – a notice the RTB deemed valid.

In a statement to The Clare Champion, McInerney said the tenants had been “good tenants who looked after the property well” and that she respects their legal rights. She added that she had maintained the €650 rent throughout COVID and the subsequent period of inflation before seeking the increase.

The decision requires McInerney to repay the overcharged amount to the tenants.

Source: Clare Champion. Photo: Ellie Burgin / Pexels.