A man leased a house for €762 a month before subletting it for €8,532 a month to the Eastern Health Board to house Romanian refugees, a judge heard yesterday.
Mr Leo Coady is seeking the return of overpaid rent and furniture from the premises.
Mr Coady told Judge Liam Devally he rented the substantial and listed Larchhill House, Coolock Lane, Dublin, from a Dublin property company in September 1999 for a monthly rent of £600 (€761.84).
He told Mr John Nolan, counsel for Upstairs Property Ltd, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, that he had then sublet the property to the health board to house 16 refugees for a payment of £15 (€19.05) per head per day.
Mr Coady, of North Circular Road, Dublin, said that, although his "private residence" lease forbade him from subletting, he knew when he signed it that he would be subletting it to house refugees.
He said the estate agent had told him there would be no problem if he kept the house secured. He thought he had been acting fairly by placing an employee around the clock on the property.
He said the refugees had been removed by the health board and he had been barred from entering the house, but he had continued to pay rent and had been unable to recover €19,046 worth of furniture from the house.
Mr Coady claimed the return of €5,332.90 in overpaid rent from Upstairs Property and an order for the return of the furniture. The case was adjourned for a fortnight to facilitate the parties in resolving their difficulties.