Tenants of 12 apartments in Salthill have been given a week to vacate their homes — on foot of an order from Galway Fire Service.

Around 15 occupants of apartments over the Oslo, at 226 Upper Salthill Road, face homelessness next week as a result of a Fire Safety Notice – some of them having lived in the units for up to a decade.

One of the current residents, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Galway City Tribune this week that their world was in turmoil as they faced a near-empty rental market with just days to avoid ending up on the street.

Notice was served to tenants from the Dublin-based letting agency, HJ Byrne, last Thursday, February 27, informing them that they had to be out by next Monday, March 10.

“We are all so stressed,” said the tenant. “I can’t begin to explain how worrying this is.

“It is a legitimate notice but we have nowhere else to go. Some people have been here for 10 years.

“The apartments are not perfect, but they’re our homes,” they continued.

On February 21 last, Galway Fire Service issued a notice that the first and second floor of the building were “potentially dangerous”.

In the Fire Safety Notice seen by the Tribune, Chief Fire Officer Gerry O’Malley said notice was being issued as there was not an “adequate means of egress from the building”.

He said that fire “would be likely to spread rapidly within the building” and said there was an “absence of any or adequate appliances or fittings”, referring to items such as fire extinguishers, alarms and emergency exits.

“The upper floors of the building shall not be used for any use, including the first floor and second floor bedrooms/apartments,” stated the notice.

In the days before the eviction notice was served on tenants, they had received a notice of termination setting out that the landlord intended to renovate the apartments, providing them with a termination date based on the length of their occupancy.

Many had expected to have months to find alternative accommodation, and to have an opportunity to return once the works were completed.

But six days later, a letter from agents HJ Byrne set out that they would no longer be able to see out their notice period.

Pictured: Chief Fire Officer Gerry O’Malley