A landlord in Co Clare, described as “totally unreasonable” by a Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) tribunal, whose former tenant claimed she took photos of her “dirty laundry basket” has been ordered to pay damages.Tenant Sarah Hennessy told a tribunal hearing her former landlord, Michelle Cotter, had accused her of a number of “false” breaches during her tenancy, including that her partner was living at the property.She claimed Cotter went through her personal belongings and took photos of her “dirty laundry basket” in an effort to prove Hennessy’s partner was living in the apartment on Parnell Street, Ennis, according to a recently published tribunal report.Hennessy told the tribunal that while her partner stayed from time to time, he was based in Limerick.She claimed Cotter took the photos “opportunistically” when she accompanied painters to the property in January 2025, who had been hired due to mould issues.Cotter told the tribunal she had inspected the property “thoroughly” as she had a “strong suspicion” a second occupant was living there.She said she was “very worried” about another person living in a small apartment as it would cause further mould.She had accused Hennessy of causing the mould by drying clothes inside without proper ventilation, claiming her glasses “fogged up” on entering the property with the painters.She told the tribunal she observed a clothes horse being used during the visit while the windows were closed.However, Hennessy told the tribunal the dryer was not working, and when it was repaired in January last year, she claimed the mould persisted.Cotter ultimately sent Hennessy a list of alleged breaches, which she subsequently used as grounds for a notice of termination. These included that she failed to inform her of an additional occupant.Another breach was Hennessy’s failure to pay costs incurred by Cotter, including €202 for a dehumidifier and €321.60 for the paintwork within 10 days.The tribunal said the landlord was “totally unreasonable” for seeking such costs, and for using the failure to pay as a reason to terminate the tenancy.Cotter had also sought a further €110 in plumber fees incurred for a leak at the property.Noting that the leak was caused by an “old and blocked pipe”, the tribunal said Cotter “totally unreasonably sought to lay the plumbing costs” on Hennessy, giving her “just five days” to pay.During the hearing, Cotter accepted Hennessy was not liable for the plumbing costs. She told the tribunal she was a “prudent and attentive landlord” and that she was “sorry and disappointed that this has happened”.The tribunal said Cotter was “wrong” to place all blame on her former tenant for the mould, saying although indoor drying may have contributed, she failed to provide a properly functioning dryer for some time.It added that Cotter had “no evidence whatsoever” that Hennessy’s partner was living there, “apart from hearsay and suspicions that she herself manufactured from things she observed in the dwelling while accompanying painters”.“There is no doubt that the landlord was not entitled to snoop through the tenant’s belongings and take photos of the tenant’s possessions, to seek to substantiate her suspicion around who was occupying the dwelling,” it said.Hennessy left the property about a month after receiving a notice of termination in April last year. The tribunal heard she used her security deposit as her final month’s rent without consent.Deeming the notice of termination invalid, the tribunal ordered Cotter to pay €500 in damages to Hennessy for the “stress and inconvenience caused”.Hennessy had separately alleged a breach of Cotter’s obligations regarding maintenance of the property, but this was not upheld by the tribunal.