Couple open up about struggle to retain family home

When times were better Kevin and Mary* contributed to St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas appeals.

A few short years later and this married couple from north Westmeath are one of the new poor, dependant on the charity to help make ends meet.

The affable parents of five moved to Westmeath from Dublin at the tail-end of the Celtic Tiger, to give their kids the benefits of a rural upbringing.
After finding their “dream home”, they went to a mortgage broker.

As they were having difficulty securing a loan from one of the established banks due to missing a number of mortgage payments when Kevin, a tradesman, broke his hand some years previously, the broker advised them to take a loan with a sub-prime lender.

Kevin says that it was the worse decision they ever made.

“He said go to this crowd for a while, for one year, and come back (when our credit rating had improved) and there would be no hassle then.

“We did, we went with them for a year. The interest rates were ridiculous, we were paying €1,800 a month. After a year we went back but the banks had plummeted,” Kevin told the Westmeath Examiner.

Unable to do anything about their mortgage, the family struggled but managed to meet their monthly repayments until Kevin had to give up work due to what was subsequently diagnosed as a muscle wastage disease.

For the last four years the couple have been unable to meet their repayments are currently €75,000 in arrears on their €230,000 mortgage.

Despite offering to pay what they can from their social welfare, they say their lender has refused and wants only one thing – their eviction.

“We are dreading the post in the morning. We want to pay, even if we can only pay €50 a week.

“But they won’t accept it. They sent us a letter saying that they didn’t want anything off us,” Kevin says.

Mary says that despite being close, the pressure of the situation they are in is having an impact on family life.

“We are trying to keep it from the kids but the eldest ones know now. The stress is hard. We are arguing over the littlest thing. I am not used to Kevin being here, he worked since he was 16.”

Resigned to losing their home, the couple have been given a lifeline by Deputy Robert Troy, who believes they could be eligible for the government’s Mortgage to Rent scheme.

Mary says that if they couple aren’t accepted on it, she has no fight left.
“I am in the position now where I don’t know if I can handle four or five years of more stress and then be put out.

“I’d rather just go and get it over with. If I have to go to a hostel, so be it.

“Kevin’s not ready, but I cant’ take any more. I am done.”

A “proud dad”, Kevin says that he will exhaust every possible option before giving up their home.

“Our last hope is being accepted on the Mortgage to Rent Scheme that or winning the Lotto. Mary says it’s only bricks and mortar but I say it’s our blood, sweat and tears,” Kevin says.

* Names have been changed to protect the identity of the couple.

TD is working to help couple

Robert Troy TD has described the measures announced by government to deal with mortgage arrears as timid and lacking ambition following four years of indifference.

He referred to the case of Kevin and Mary, on whose behalf he has been working for months. 

“This couple are a genuine case. Kevin is unable to work due to medical conditions and they are trying to support four children.

“I am exploring various routes in an attempt to help this family and will continue to do all I can to ensure they maintain their home.”
The Fianna Fáil TD is unhappy with how the government is dealing with cases such as this.

“A huge amount of unnecessary distress has been heaped on families as a result of the failure to address this issue.

“I welcome the fact that a court may, in certain circumstances, effectively overrule the bank and impose a solution but we need to see the details of how this will work.”