Tenant at centre of Jim Gavin rent row exposes angry phone call with former GAA manager

The Deputy Editor of the Sunday World has spoken out about his conflict with Jim Gavin and the €3,300 in extra rent payments that Gavin neglected to return to him.

Speaking on Nicola Tallant’s Crime World podcast, Niall Donald said: “Everyone who worked with me knew my story with Jim Gavin”. 

Upon first meeting Jim Gavin, he believed him to be “very nice, very polite” and “shy”. 

The journalist rented Gavin’s Blackhall property for two and a half years. Upon leaving the tenancy, he forgot to cancel a standing order that was in place for rental payments. 

Months later, Donald realised “the full extent” of his savings were gone. 

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Donald went to great lengths to get in touch with Gavin - including regularly emailing his job and phoning his workplace. Eventually “he just stopped answering”. 

With no success on reaching Jim, Niall Donald then sought out a Solicitor. The legal professional advised Donald to go to the Private Residencies Tenancies Board (now the RTB) who advised going to his home address to present Gavin with a legal letter. 

Donald took this advice - which then led to a contentious call between the pair. 

Donald detailed: “It was after midnight or something, and he phoned me up really, really irate.”

“I said you’re not answering, you’re not dealing with this, it’s my money in fairness.”

“Eventually he sort of calmed down, and said yeah - he accepted he owed me the money, and he said I’m transferring it now. On the phone now, I’m transferring it.”

However, this bank transfer never did occur - and Niall Donald is still waiting for his money back, upon today’s airing of the podcast, October 8.  

Donald is sympathetic to Gavin, and said “He was in financial difficulty” but ultimately “he had two houses, I had no house”.