A couple who have lived in their car since COVID because they cannot find dog-friendly rental accomodation have said they feel ‘just helpless’. 

James Keaty and Teresa Fernandez’s woes began in 2020, when the pandemic began and turned so many people’s lives on their heads. 

Six years on, Mr Keaty is clear that the virus “destroyed our lives”. 

 “All work ceased during COVID; Teresa was manager of the biggest cinema in the country,” he explained on Moncrieff. 

“I was working in logistics, route planning, and driving as well, so everything stopped. 

“We were private renting at the time in Dublin with our three dogs and although there was a cease put on addictions at the time, the rent kept accumulating. 

“So, there wasn't enough incomings to manage the outgoings, so we were in serious arrears by the time COVID finished and we were able to go back to work.”

James Keaty. Image: Supplied.

However, during their period of unemployment, the couple accumulated significant rent arrears and they had to leave their property. 

Eventually, they found a place to rent in Longford but were told after only a few months that the family wanted to put it on Airbnb. 

“So we left their property with nothing and we decided that we would stay in the car,” Mr Keaty continued.  

“On that particular day when we left that place in Longford, there were 84 properties in the whole of the country on Daft for private rent - that's regardless of pets or anything else.

“So, we had no chance.”

Unable to find anywhere to rent, the couple have now spent years living along with their three dogs in a Renault Twingo, parked close to where Mr Keaty grew up in Palmerstown, west Dublin. 

“We said, look, we'll ride it out in the car because at no point would we ever consider giving up our dogs. They're our family,” he recalled. 

“Teresa never had the opportunity to have children and they were our family.” 

Health impact

At this point, they have spent three Christmas days in their car and Mr Keaty has developed “terrible illnesses” from sleeping there. 

“Due to lack of circulation, I developed deep vein thrombosis,” he said. 

“So, I was brought up as an inpatient in Tallaght Hospital for 31 days and then it developed onto pulmonary embolism by two clots in each lung. 

“So, I'll be on morphine for the rest of my life, I don't mind that, if it means staying alive.”

In total, the car has been attacked three times by people with glass bottles and the couple feel ‘just helpless’. 

“Attacking a woman on her own in a car with three dogs is just not acceptable,” Mr Keaty said. 

After they set up a GoFundMe page, the couple raised the funds to move into a hotel. 

However, their time in the hotel is expected to end in a couple of weeks’ time and they expect they will be back in their car once again. 

While still looking for a place to rent, they are always turned down because they own dogs.

In November last year, there were  16,996 living in emergency accomodation - the highest number since records began.

Main image: James Keaty. Image: Supplied.