Sinn Féin TD defends Stephen Donnelly for failing to register rental property

A Sinn Féin TD has defended Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly saying his failure to register a rental property with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has to be an oversight “because there wouldn’t be anything to be gained”.

Meath West TD Johnny Guirke has been admonished by his own party for failing to re-register one of his own four rental properties.

He said on Thursday that as soon as he realised this “I sorted it out”.

“It was a mistake. I put my hands up. I don’t think there’s anything big to be gained by me or Stephen Donnelly by not registering a property for €40.”

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Mr Guirke was speaking on LMFM Radio’s The Michael Reade show after Mr Donnelly admitted that he failed to register a rental property in Dublin for the past three years with the RTB.

The Irish Times reported how Mr Donnelly only did so late last week after it emerged Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy had also registered a property late.

[ Stephen Donnelly admits failing to register Dublin rental property for three years ]

[ Stephen Donnelly admits he paid €100 fine for late RTB registration ]

[ Donnelly lobbied for tax breaks for ‘accidental landlords’ for four years ]

Mr Troy resigned as a junior minister last week amid the controversy over his failure to fully declare his property interests.

Mr Guirke said that he made a “genuine mistake” and he said he agreed with Sinn Féin’s public statement in relation to him.

The party last week said: “All rental properties should be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board — no ifs, buts or maybes.”

Sinn Féin said it had formally spoken with Mr Guirke and made it clear the failure to register his property was unacceptable and any further lapses would result in disciplinary action from the party.

Before this Sinn Féin had initially said a property listed by Mr Guirke was registered with the RTB, after searches did not show it, but Mr Guirke then admitted the register on one of his properties had not been renewed, which he blamed on an agent.

Mr Guirke said Sinn Féin is “100 per cent right” in the stance it has taken on the issue adding: “They can’t be soft with me or soft with anyone that does this or makes a mistake. We’re setting standards for other people, we have to be up to them ourselves.”

Asked during the radio interview if Mr Troy had been treated unfairly, Mr Guirke said he did not know his situation.

“What I’m going to do is try and make sure that what happened to me won’t happen again. I’ll do my best.”

He added: “Robert Troy can talk for himself. Stephen Donnelly can talk for himself. But I know one thing that I most certainly definitely had nothing to gain by not paying €40 to re-register a property.”

Mr Donnelly is renting out a property in Sandyford which he declared on the Dáil register of Members’ Interests. A tenancy registry was not renewed in 2019 as was required under law. Mr Donnelly has blamed an “oversight”.

Mr Guirke was asked about this explanation. He replied: “It would have to be an oversight because there wouldn’t be anything to be gained. That’s not making light of it. I did it myself. It was most certainly not done on purpose ... I don’t think in all honesty that Stephen Donnelly, like myself, would have anything to gain by not registering a property.”

It was put to Mr Guirke that not registering a property is an offence that can result in a €4,000 fine or six months in prison.

Mr Guirke said his property was registered but not renewed.

“I didn’t go out to break the law ... Why would I register the other properties and not register that one? You won’t do it like.”

He added: “Whatever I did I would put my hands up and whatever is the punishment for it I have no problem taking it.”

Mr Guirke — who is renting out four properties — said he would not describe himself as a professional landlord.

He said: “I was building before I went into the Dáil. Some of them would have been long gone only I couldn’t sell them. It’s not like I wanted them. Unless I gave them away I wouldn’t have been able to pay off the money I owed to the banks.”