Landlord changed the locks while tenant was 680 miles away. It backfired for $10,800
'You don’t give [a] s--- about termination. You will not be getting any notice from me.'
Connemara landlord Noel King thought he could do what he wanted with his rental property, but tenant Jakob Gartner quickly showed him that the rules applied to everyone. Gartner's tenancy began in August 2024. The two agreed to a rent of about $335 per week. But almost a year later (July 2025), King told Gartner to "get out" of his property over text message. Gartner, who was abroad at the time, flew from Paris to Dublin and then drove to the property in Roundstone, only to find the locks had been changed, Connacht Tribune reported. Since there was no proper notice, Gartner took the issue to the authorities. The dispute resurfaced after the Connacht Tribune reported the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) ruling on October 8, 2026.
Strongly-worded messages
Jakob Gartner took the issue to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). He claimed to be wrongfully evicted by Noel King. He explained that they had set a weekly amount for his rent. But the delay in registering with the RTB caused further holdup with his VAT (Value-Added Tax) and VIES (VAT Information Exchange System), which caused him to fall behind on rent. In April 2025, King threatened to evict Gartner from the home, but two months later, he received a message from King telling him to "Get out." Two days later, Gartner received another message. King wrote, "taking (sic) over my house today, I’m taking (sic) solid action now... Can’t wait any longer."
Gartner was in Germany at the time and had to take an impromptu flight to Dublin. When he got home, he realized the locks had been changed. He went back to Germany without a word to King. By September, Gartner revealed that King contacted him again. He offered him about $8,394 to move out of the house. King was concerned by Gartner's frequent absences and irregular payments, and wanted him to leave. Gartner explained that he still had to pay King nearly $1,617 at the time of termination. Between July and December 2025, Gartner paid him a total of about $6,805, and later realized he had overpaid.
Connemara reputation
After King and Gartner butted heads for months, the latter took the matter to a tribunal. King admitted he was harsh with Gartner when he told him, "You don’t give [a] s--- about termination. You will not be getting any notice from me. We’re from Connemara, you don’t know us?" But also defended himself, saying Gartner never asked for the key. He told the contractor to break into the house, replace the locks, and put the key in a key box. King never told Gartner about the key because the latter did not want to be contacted.
Aggressive landlords
Wrongful evictions or evictions without notice are apparently rampant in the U.S. too. In a 2020 National Housing Law Project survey of 100 legal-services and tenant attorneys in 38 states, 91% reported illegal evictions occuring in their area. Among the tactics reported, 53% involved landlords locking tenants out and 18% involved threats or intimidation. Jakob Gartner was also threatened with eviction and later on, locked out of his rented home, all because King was suspicious of his absences and frustrated by his inconsistent payments.
Tribunal's decision
The tribunal ruled that King had unlawfully terminated Gartner’s tenancy by changing the locks without serving a valid notice. Because of that, they rejected his claim about waiting for Gartner to ask for the key. They also agreed that locking the house was King's way of ending Gartner's tenancy. The three-member tribunal told King to pay Gartner a total of nearly $10,800 to make up for Gartner's overpayments. Gartner was also permitted to move freely in and out of the house for 42 days, from 8 am to 10 pm, as he collects his belongings.
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