AN AWARD of almost €25,000 in unpaid rent and insurance payments has been made to Dragons' DenTV star Niall O'Farrell against one of his commercial tenants.
The multimillionaire entrepreneur sued Co Dublin businessman Michael Carroll, who leased a unit from him at the Motor Centre at The Square, Tallaght.
Mr O’Farrell, who owns two houses on Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, one of which – his home, Thorndene – is on the market for €14 million, told the Circuit Civil Court of having leased the unit to Mr Carroll in the 1990s.
He told his barrister Barry Mansfield he was not aware Mr Carroll had sub-let the unit. He said the rent and insurance premiums should have been paid quarterly in advance, but was paid very sporadically by Mr Carroll. Demands had been made on his behalf for arrears.
Denise Brett, for Mr Carroll, told Judge Gerard Griffin the unit had been sub-let by her client as long ago as 1998 and he had never personally operated a business from there since.
She said Mr O’Farrell’s claim was confined to four quarterly rent payments for 2009 and insurance premiums relating to three separate years. Two payments had been made during 2009 which would have to be deducted from any decree made by the court.
Judge Griffin awarded Mr O’Farrell €24,760 for rent and insurance payment arrears and said he would grant a stay on his order if Mr Carroll would lodge €20,000 in court within 10 days.
Ms Brett said Mr Carroll was prepared to pay €1,000 a month to stay judgment against him, but would be unable to pay a lump sum of €20,000.