A mother of five “sports mad” boys has said outside court she does not know how she will tell them they are going to lose their home.
She was speaking outside the repossession court in Ennis, where she agreed that Clare registrar Patrick Wallace could make a repossession order on the family home in two months.
The woman, along with her estranged husband, owe AIB subsidiary Haven Mortgages Ltd €486,000. They are €172,000 in arrears.
She confirmed to the court there has not been a repayment since 2010 on a mortgage that required monthly payments of €1,810. She said her husband left the family home more than four years ago and that she does not have any income to pay the mortgage.
The mother told Mr Wallace she gets money from her elderly parents’ pensions to help feed her boys.
Outside court, she said she has been unable to open any of the demand letters she has received from the bank. “It is very stressful. I just put them into a drawer. I can’t read them. I just can’t cope. I don’t open them.”
She said: “I had to open the letter from the bank for today as it was registered.”
Stay of 12 months
Mr Wallace said in court he would put a stay of 12 months on the repossession order when he makes it.
The woman told Mr Wallace she gets “very little maintenance” from her estranged husband to support the children. He was also listed as a party in the case but did not appear in court.
Unrepresented in court, the woman told Mr Wallace: “It is very difficult at the moment. The boys are very hands-on. It is quite demanding and I have to be there for them.”
In reply, Mr Wallace said: “They are your priority anyway.”
In response, the mother said: “I am the primary carer. It is difficult to keep it all together. I am not in a position to pay anything, I would have to borrow money to pay the mortgage.”
In reply to a question from Mr Wallace if she had any objection to him making a repossession order, the woman said: “Definitely not. It is just heartache. I want to move to on now – I can’t pay that kind of money.”
