"We Even Thought of Buying": Kildare Man Speaks Out After Being Evicted From Moyvalley Apartments

The resident had been living in the apartments for over five years.

A Kildare man has spoken out about his eviction from the apartments at the Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort, describing the situation as "stressful and unfair".

The resident, who does not want to be named, had been living in the apartments for over five years.

He now lives in another part of the county.

He told Kfm that he received an eviction notice last October and moved out before Christmas.

He initially believed the premises was being redeveloped but now questions the reasoning behind the evictions.

Families still residing in the apartments are "distraught" over the uncertainty of their future, he said.

"It's stressful. It went from long-term rent to short-term rent, so we knew something official was up when they changed the contracts. The question is: do you wait six months or find something earlier?"

Since leaving, he said his wife's commute to work has doubled, adding to the difficulty of the move.

He also noted that families with children in local schools are struggling after receiving eviction notices

"I wish they were just upfront about everything. If they want accommodation for asylum seekers, why not use the hotel? Why kick families out?" he asked.

He highlighted the tensions created by the situation, arguing that evicting long-term residents is damaging community relations.

"It's not doing any good for relationships between people on the ground, and it's creating tensions. We had a reasonable deal around rent for five years. It was hard to leave."

He also pointed out a change in rental agreements leading up to the evictions.

"Last year, they didn't renew the yearly contracts. They just shortened the contract to three months. We’d still be there if that hadn’t happened. We even thought of buying a place there."

He said most of the residents have already left, while some families with children remain.

Yesterday, Kfm spoke Kfm to the expected new owner of the Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort, Mr. Kawaljit 'Karl' Sandhu, a multi-millionaire and CEO of Citicorp Apartments Ltd. 

He told Kfm that discussions are ongoing between his company and the Department of Integration to accommodate 24 families in 24 of the apartments, but no agreement has been reached as of yet. 

Mr. Sandhu says he has no intention of changing the use of the Hotel itself, which will continue to offer its current services, including overnight stays and weddings. 

The Hotel is located directly adjacent to the apartments. 

Locals in the wider Moyvalley and Broadford area have organised a protest for outside the Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort this Saturday.