Residents in the retirement village are perplexed over the letter as local councillor says that “it’s not ideal but nobody will be left on the streets”.
Enniscrone residents at the Sonas retirement village have expressed confusion over a letter they have received which details how their notice period has been extended.
Councillor Joe Queenan spoke to the Sligo Weekender two weeks ago, as he said “we have a resolution.”
At that time neither he or the residents said that they had seen anything in writing over this resolution. Asked about a time frame for the residents’ tenancy, cllr Queenan said “There’ll be no way of leaving their houses and they won’t be pressured to get alternative accommodation – but obviously if alternative accommodation comes along, that changes the situation.”
The Sligo Weekender has seen the letter received by residents in the Sonas retirement village from Nasso BK Holdings Ltd which they received last week dated May 26, as it details how the residents’ notice period has been extended for another six months.
The letter explains to the residents that “following the sale of the adjoining Sonas Nursing Home, the owners made the decision to sell a number of properties within the retirement village as part of the winding down of the company which owns them. Over an extended period, the owners explored possible solutions with a range of stakeholders, including Sligo County Council, Approved Housing Bodies and local politicians, to see if arrangements could be found that would allow residents to remain in their homes on a long-term basis while facilitating the sale of the properties and permitting the wind down of company.”
However, the letter from Nasso BK Holdings Ltd said that “while these efforts did not result in a viable solution, the owners remain open to constructive engagement.”
They acknowledged that the notice period is due to expire on June 6th as it said “we recognise the uncertainty and distress this situation has caused to you and your families, and we fully appreciate that these houses are homes and part of a long-established community. Therefore, the owners have agreed to extend the notice period by 6 months to allow further engagement.”
The letter wished “to reassure residents that no one will be required to leave their home immediately on the 6th of June.
“While the original Notice of Termination remains legally effective and in place, the affected residents may continue to remain in situ for up to a further period of 6 months from the 6 of June while longer-term arrangements are explored.”
“The owners remain committed to engaging respectfully with all residents throughout this process.”
Cllr Queenan spoke to the Sligo Weekender about this development on Tuesday of this week as he said that “it’ll be reviewed every six months. To be fair to the landlords here, this is because of the new legislation with six year leases.”
The new legislation he is referring to was brought in by the government this year and says that new tenancies created from 1 March 2026 are subject to Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMD). These will be rolling 6-year tenancies, attempting to offer tenants greater stability.
He continued, “I’ve been assured by the landlords who I have a very good work relationship with, that nobody will be put out on their own – that won’t happen”
“That letter will be issued in six months again, so every six months.”
“It’s not the letter that we’d all love to see, but it’s a roll over for every six months.”
Asked about the lack of infinity that this arrangement involves, he said, “I acknowledge it’s not forever. It’s the best we can do at the moment. The only other alternative to the landlord last November was to sell the properties. Then, as there was no alternative accommodation in Enniscrone for them [the residents] , and the pressure that was being put on the landlords – they reviewed the situation. I was told by the landlord quite clearly, quite early in Spring, to re-assure the tenants that they will not be asked to leave their houses if they have not gotten alternative accommodation.”
He believes the current arrangement is in place as a result of the new tenancy legislation “Their solicitors wrote the letter last week and that’s the way their legal people are dealing with it – of a roll over of six months.”
“But again, at Christmas – when we have the same scenario again, there will be nobody leaving their houses at Christmas – if they want to stay there at Christmas and for the next six months, they’ll be left there – that is the facts to it.”
He added, “Unfortunately it’s not ideal.. They’re reluctant to give a new contract because a new contract now means a six year contract. If it was a year to year contract we would have this sorted, but because of new legislation where a landlord now is obliged to give six years – they’re not prepared to go that long term into it at this stage.”
He re-iterated that he has been told by the landlord “to re-assure each tenant that nobody will be left on the street, nobody will be asked to leave their property until they want to go themselves.”
Linda Mitchell is one resident who received this letter from BK Holdings as she said that they “are back to square one. It’s still not re-assuring.”
She was told by Cllr Queenan to not worry as the six month lease would be renewed but she said “I don’t get that at all. I don’t understand it”
“How can you say another six months but you’ll never be asked to leave?”, she said.
She said the most recent letter has further perplexed her, as she said “I am just so fed up with it all at the minute.This has been going on since Christmas and it’s just really hanging over our heads.”
“It’s just a mess – I think it’s just changed us all.”
Linda’s husband Billy also spoke about how their residency was supposed to be their “last house” as “it’s supposed to be a retirement village, but it’s changed completely.”
He believes that morale among the residents has dropped alongside the standards for their houses,“There used to be a handy man here and now there’s none, they had a painter that came in too but that has stopped.”
The couple have undergone some work on their house as they believed it would be their long-term dwelling, and it is unclear to them if they were to leave if they would get compensation for these works.
Billy believes that the organisation of this ordeal as a whole has been subpar, as even the eviction notices have only been addressed to one resident of their house rather than each individual tenant. They say that this is only further confusing the situation for the couple.
The residents hope to receive more clarity on the situation in due course.
