Landlord Marc Godart outside Dublin District Court. Photograph: Tom Tuite
Last Updated on 10 July 2026 by Watchdog Witness
Introduction – A Pattern of Abuse
When tenants complained about overcrowding in their Dublin home, they expected their landlord to fix the problem. Instead, Lizet Peña-Herrera came home one day to find her belongings packed up and the locks changed. She was evicted without warning while she was at work. The RTB called it an “egregious unlawful eviction”.
That eviction was not a one-off mistake. It was part of a pattern of behaviour by Marc Godart, a Luxembourg businessman who built a property empire in Ireland while systematically ignoring tenant rights, court orders, and company law.
A High Court judge said Godart “acted in bad faith and with impropriety from start to finish”. The Corporate Enforcement Authority disqualified him from acting as a company director for five years, saying it was warranted “in the public interest”.
Yet Godart, now based in Latvia, is still trying to do business in Ireland. This is the story of a landlord who believed he could defy the law—and the tenants who refused to let him get away with it.
Who Is Marc Godart?
Marc Godart is a Luxembourg national, now aged 35-36, who began incorporating Irish companies in 2014 to invest in Irish property. He has been a director of over 40 Irish companies, including Green Label Short Lets Ltd and Green Label Property Investments Ltd.
His corporate structure is deliberately complex. His Irish companies are owned by holding companies in Luxembourg—Itzig Sarl and Hesper SA—which are in turn owned by Godart himself. In recent filings, he has given an address in Riga, Latvia, where he now resides.
Part 1: The Tenants Who Refused to Be Silenced
Lizet Peña-Herrera – The €15,433 Fight
Lizet Peña-Herrera, a psychologist originally from Bolivia who has lived in Ireland since 2008, rented a room at Reuben House, Dublin 8. In 2022, she raised health and safety concerns about overcrowding in the property. Her reward? An unlawful eviction.
She was evicted without warning while she was at work. The RTB found in her favour, awarding her €15,433 in damages. But Godart’s company, Green Label Short Lets Ltd, refused to pay.
The company claimed it had no assets. It said it had “effectively ceased operations”. Yet, as The Irish Times established, Godart was still renting out rooms in the same house using a foreign student’s identity, with the money being transferred to Luxembourg.
When Peña-Herrera took her case to the High Court, the judge ordered Godart to come to court to explain the company’s finances. Only then did Green Label secure a loan to pay the debt. Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that Godart be made personally liable for 80% of her legal costs, saying:
“Mr Godart ‘acted in bad faith and with impropriety from start to finish’.”
The judge also found that Godart had sworn a “false” statutory declaration claiming Green Label owned the property and intended to sell it—when in reality it was owned by a woman in Co Wexford.
“Mr Godart’s behaviour in swearing the false declaration was an act of bad faith and impropriety.”
Diana Jere & Andre Buchanan – ‘Kicking and Screaming’
Diana Jere and Andre Buchanan were unlawfully evicted from a property on Emmet Street, Dublin 1. The RTB awarded them €13,563 in December 2022. For 19 months, Godart refused to pay.
His former tenants launched enforcement proceedings to compel him to comply. In July 2024, Judge Marie Quirke gave him nine days to pay. He only paid on the final day.
Their barrister told the court: “The court had to bring Mr Godart kicking and screaming in order to get him to pay.” He was also ordered to pay their legal costs of over €4,000.
Judge Quirke had earlier granted a European Enforcement Order (EEO) against Godart, enforceable across the EU, to force him to pay. Godart did not appear when the RTB initially granted the order.
Five Tenants at Windsor Terrace – The €51,000 Award
Five tenants—Johnpaul Okolie, Favour Orimolusi, Nicholas Udomboso, Anjolaoluwa Agore and Michael Modozie—rented rooms at Windsor Terrace, Fairview. On 31 October 2021, they were unlawfully evicted.
The RTB found the company had not complied with the Residential Tenancies Act. They awarded the five tenants €51,000 in total—around €10,000 each—including the return of their security deposits.
But the money went unpaid. The tenants launched enforcement proceedings, and in April 2025, Judge Marie Quirke granted an enforcement order and legal costs in their favour.
One of the tenants, Johnpaul Okolie, said after the case he had experienced homelessness, relied on friends and hostels after his eviction, and faced difficulties finding new accommodation due to the housing crisis. He hoped the ruling would act as a deterrent.
Part 2: The Corporate Web – A “Murky Structure”
Godart’s corporate structure has been described by a High Court judge as “clearly quite a murky structure”.
His Irish companies are owned by Luxembourg holding companies. In his affidavit to the High Court, Godart said the Irish companies were obliged to remit money to Luxembourg. When Green Label Short Lets claimed it had no assets to pay Peña-Herrera, the court discovered all revenue raised in Ireland “has to be transferred” to a Luxembourg parent company.
The judge noted that if money was remitted to Luxembourg after the compensation award, “that could amount to a fraudulent transfer”.
In recent company filings, Godart gave an address in Riga, Latvia, which is also the address of a Latvian company called Green Assets Ltd.
Part 3: The 5-Year Director Ban
On 18 December 2025, the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) disqualified Marc Godart from acting as a company director for five years.
The disqualification was made “in the public interest”. The CEA had given Godart the opportunity to voluntarily accept the disqualification; he did so, avoiding High Court proceedings.
CEA Chief Executive Ian Drennan said:
“Company law confers significant benefits and privileges on those wishing to engage in commercial activity through corporate vehicles… In return for those benefits and privileges, company law requires adherence to certain minimum standards of governance, transparency, and probity.”
The CEA said it would monitor company filings to ensure Godart resigns from any affected positions.
Part 4: The Criminal and Regulatory Cases
Dublin City Council Prosecutions
Godart’s companies have been prosecuted multiple times by Dublin City Council:
- Airbnb fines: Green Label Short Lets Ltd and Capel Grand Inn Ltd were fined €7,500 for “egregious” planning breaches over unauthorised short-term lettings.
- Fire safety: His companies were prosecuted over a “potentially dangerous building” that breached fire safety laws.
- Short-term letting: Reuben Street Hot Desks Ltd was fined €1,500 and ordered to pay €3,601 in costs for letting apartments on Airbnb without planning permission.
RTB Sanctions
In October 2024, the RTB published sanctions against Godart’s company, Green Label Property Investments Ltd, totalling over €25,000. The company failed to register tenancies and knowingly gave false reasons for tenants to vacate. Tenants had been told the owner wanted to sell, only for the apartments to be advertised on Airbnb.
The Pub Licence Application
In July 2025, Godart, now based in Latvia, applied to take over a Dublin pub licence. He admitted he did not intend to run it—he had “a tenant lined up”. The application was adjourned pending consent from the fire officer.
Part 5: The RTBF Notice
When searching for “Marc Godart”, Google shows: “Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe.”
This is consistent with his pattern of trying to hide from scrutiny—moving between jurisdictions (Luxembourg, Ireland, Latvia) and using complex corporate structures to avoid accountability.
Why This Case Matters for Watchdog Witness Readers
Marc Godart’s case is a textbook example of corporate abuse of power and the lengths some landlords will go to avoid responsibility:
1. The “Shell Company” Strategy
Godart used a company with no assets to shield himself from an RTB award. The court found he acted in “bad faith” by swearing a false declaration.
2. The “Kicking and Screaming” Tactic
He refused to pay legitimate RTB awards for up to 19 months, forcing tenants to go to court repeatedly.
3. The “Murky Structure”
His Luxembourg-based holding companies made it difficult to trace his assets. The judge called it a “murky structure”.
4. The Pattern of Evictions
Unlawful evictions on Halloween 2021, on a day Peña-Herrera was at work, and others—all part of a systematic pattern.
The question for Watchdog Witness readers is simple: If a landlord can swear false declarations, hide money in Luxembourg, and refuse to pay tenants for nearly two years—what protection do tenants really have?
Timeline of Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Godart begins incorporating Irish companies |
| 2021 | Five tenants illegally evicted from Windsor Terrace, Fairview |
| 2022 | Lizet Peña-Herrera unlawfully evicted from Reuben House |
| Dec 2022 | RTB awards €13,563 to Jere & Buchanan (unpaid for 19 months) |
| 2022 | Green Label gets planning permission for Cork housing development |
| Aug 2024 | Godart made 80% liable for Peña-Herrera’s legal costs |
| Oct 2024 | RTB fines Godart’s company over €25,000 |
| June 2024 | The Irish Times finds Godart still letting rooms he claimed he stopped renting |
| April 2025 | €51,000 enforcement order for five Windsor Terrace tenants |
| July 2025 | Godart applies for Dublin pub licence (he has a tenant lined up) |
| Nov 2025 | Godart ordered to pay €4,000 legal costs to Jere & Buchanan |
| Dec 2025 | 5-year director disqualification by CEA |
Sources – Click to Verify
| Source | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Western People | Judge makes Godart 80% liable for ex-tenant’s costs (Dec 2025) | View |
| CEA Press Statement | 5-year disqualification (Dec 2025) | View |
| The Irish Times | Disqualification and ‘murky structure’ (Dec 2025) | View |
| The Irish Times | Cork planning permission and sale (Aug 2024) | View |
| Waterford News & Star | ‘Kicking and screaming’ to pay (Nov 2025) | View |
| The Irish Times | RTB sanctions over €25,000 (Oct 2024) | View |
| The Irish Times | Still letting rooms he claimed he stopped renting (June 2024) | View |
| Western People | €51,000 award to five tenants (April 2025) | View |
| The Irish Times | Pub licence application (July 2025) | View |
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available court records, RTB determinations, CEA press releases, and news reporting. Marc Godart is the subject of civil rulings and regulatory sanctions. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article does not constitute legal advice and is provided for informational and journalistic purposes only. Watchdog Witness does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of third-party sources cited. This article may be updated as further information becomes available.
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