Israeli landlords seeking retention permission for illegal rental properties

An Israeli-owned property company with a history of prohibition notices for its rentals in Ireland is seeking retention permission for the third time in Phibsborough for an illegal letting. 

The Ireland Israel fund – linked to the company’s owners and which pools smalltime investors’ money to buy Irish properties – claims to own €25 million in assets across the country.

Keren Ireland Israel Ltd is co-owned by Oded Glinanski and Nimrod Shaul Cohen, co-founder and CEO of the Ireland Israel fund – reported on by the Dublin Inquirer in 2024. 

It co-owns multiple rentals flagged as substandard by Dublin City Council and has now had two unsuccessful applications for retention permission in Phibsborough after it unlawfully converted a premises into three studio apartments. It’s currently seeking it a third time. 

Meanwhile Cohen, sometimes with Ruth Glinanski, has also applied five times for retention planning permission for a property on Place Street in Drogheda, according to Louth County Council planning records seen by The Ditch. 

Applying for retention permission three times for one Dublin property 

Keren Ireland Israel Ltd has applied for retention permission for a property in Phibsborough, Dublin 7 three times this year. 

In one of two applications in July the company falsely described the premises as an “industrial unit” rather than three studio apartments. It also failed to format its documents correctly, prompting Dublin City Council to deem the application invalid. 

The council rejected another July application in which the company described the rental as three studio apartments but claimed it wanted to convert them into an industrial unit. 

The council found that this proposed retention wasn’t possible because of how the site is zoned. 

Several third party observation letters also outlined issues with the property, including “there is so little outdoor space on the property that the residents have had to use the laneway for playing in, entertaining and walking pitbull dogs without leads”.

Keren Ireland Israel Ltd sent its third application for retention on August 26. The company now wishes to convert the three studio apartments into one single rental unit.   

Dublin City Council has deemed two properties linked to the company’s owners to be in poor condition. 

In 2023 the council issued prohibition notices on two apartments at 3 Sherrard Street Upper, owned by Glinanski and Cohen, barring their re-letting until they were brought up to standard.

In 2022 the RTB awarded a tenant €2,450 over breaches of minimum standards at a flat at 13 Sherrard Street Lower whose landlords included Keren Ireland Israel Ltd. 

Property in Drogheda unlawfully converted into seven flats ‘in poor condition’

Nimrod Cohen is also the owner of another property unlawfully converted into rental units. 

He’s applied five times for retention for this Drogheda property, with the first four applications submitted between February and May listed as “incomplete”.

The third, submitted in April, sought retention for "previously unauthorised sub division of the single dwelling into seven units”.

A further application submitted on May 27 requested retention and permission related to the building as a protected structure, including its unauthorised subdivision into seven units. 

The planner’s report notes “that substantial areas of internal walls, ceilings and floors are in poor condition and may require extensive reconstruction works”.  

In its decision Louth County Council said that while it allows for some flexibility when owners of protected structures carry out works, subdividing the property into seven individual units constituted overdevelopment. 

Keren Ireland Israel Ltd and Nimrod Cohen, who claims on a site for another investment fund that the Ireland Israel fund holds €25 million in Irish assets, have been contacted for comment.