What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5115268 about?

The tribunal order states: An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal

How much money was awarded in case 5115268?

Cleaning: $506.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $120.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $253.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $27.00 awarded to landlord; Lawns and Garden Work: $192.90 awarded to landlord; Remove Moisture Barrier: $25.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5115268?

The primary dispute was Cleanliness. Related themes: Property damage.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5115268?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/11644417-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5115268 about?

The tribunal order states: An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal

How much money was awarded in case 5115268?

Cleaning: $506.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $120.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $253.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $27.00 awarded to landlord; Lawns and Garden Work: $192.90 awarded to landlord; Remove Moisture Barrier: $25.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5115268?

The primary dispute was Cleanliness. Related themes: Property damage.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5115268?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/11644417-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5115268 — Cleanliness

Tenantcheck Insights

Reasons

Background

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5115268 — net $1,123.90 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Garden tidy up	$192.90	Garden tidy up
Cleaning	$506.00	14. I will award the amount of the [Cleaning Company] invoice.
Compensation: Damage to laundry door	$120.00	Damage to laundry door
Remove moisture barrier	$25.00	Remove moisture barrier
Compensation: Damage to wall in garage	$253.00	Damage to wall in garage
Filing fee reimbursement	$27.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,123.90
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,123.90

The tenancy ended on 24 November 2024.

The landlord’s application sought compensation for rent arrears, power costs, cleaning, repairs, and garden tidy up work.

The hearing took place in [Event location suppressed] on 28 March 2025. Both parties participated in the hearing. [The landlord’s representative/s] represented the landlord.

At the hearing [The landlord’s representative/s] advised that the bond was released to the landlord and applied to rent arrears. [The landlord’s representative/s] advised that the claims for power costs, repair to a wall in a bedroom, and repairs to the back deck were withdrawn. A small claim for repairs to hinges on the door to the garage was also effectively withdrawn at the hearing. Garden tidy up, cleaning

The claim sought $192.90 for garden tidy up and $644.00 for cleaning.

Tenants must leave the premises (inside and outside) “reasonably clean and tidy” at the end of the tenancy. 1

[The landlord’s representative/s] said that the garden tidy up work included reinstating bark mulch and removing grass clippings from gardens as well as general weeding.

Mr Prinsloo denied removing any bark mulch or putting grass on any mulched parts of the garden. He acknowledged putting grass clippings on some gardens where there was no mulch. Mr Prinsloo said that he clippings were from his last mow.

The photographs are not entirely conclusive about what parts of the garden had mulch and the extent of mulch that was missing or covered with clippings at the end of the tenancy. However the photographs are sufficient to show that the gardens needed some work to bring them to a reasonably tidy condition at the end of the tenancy, and the amount claimed by the landlord is fair and reasonable.

Therefore I will award the $192.90 claimed.

[The landlord’s representative/s] said that the house was not clean at the end of the tenancy. The landlord had professional cleaning done by [Cleaning Company] at a cost of $506.00. I was provided with an invoice for this work. [The landlord’s representative/s] said that the owner did more cleaning after that cleaning, and that is the balance of the $644.00 claimed.

Mr Prinsloo said that he had professional cleaning done before he left.

[The landlord’s representative/s] provided photographs from the final inspection. The premises were very clearly not reasonably clean and tidy. There were dark 1 Section 40(1)(e)(iii) Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“RTA”) marks on doors and walls, many surfaces were not wiped, and the bathroom was dirty.

I will award the amount of the [Cleaning Company] invoice.

I have no visual evidence of the condition of the property after [Cleaning Company]’s work. It is reasonable to assume that they cleaned the property adequately. The standard that the tenant is required to reach is “reasonably clean and tidy”. I do not know whether the landlord’s additional cleaning was necessary, and therefore I will not award that additional cost. Repairs

The claim seeks: a. Repairs to kitchen shelf and compensation for damage to the kitchen bench (these claims are related). b. Compensation for damage to laundry door frame. c. Removal of a moisture barrier that the tenant affixed to a ceiling, and compensation for the moisture barrier. d. Compensation for the tenant cutting a hole in the wall in the garage. e. Replacement of damaged flooring in the kitchen.

Tenants are liable for damage during the tenancy that results from a careless or intentional action by themselves or by anyone who is at the premises with their consent. 2 Kitchen shelf and kitchen bench

There are two shelves affixed to the wall in the kitchen above the kitchen bench, to the left of the stove.

[The landlord’s representative/s] said that at the end of the tenancy there was water damage / warping on the lower of the two shelves, and water damage to the kitchen bench directly below that shelf.

[The landlord’s representative/s] provided photographs showing the damage to the kitchen bench. There is visible distortion on that part of the bench, consistent with ‘swelling’ due to water damage.

The photograph of the shelf is less clear. There are no close-up photographs. The photograph provided does show some warping – the right hand edge of the shelf slopes downward. 2 Section 49B RTA

One of the close-up photos of the kitchen bench shows a small crack in the surface of the bench, where the bench meets the corner of the splashback.

[The landlord’s representative/s] said that the water damage to the bench and to the shelf may have been caused by Mr Prinsloo failing to keep the kitchen clean and free of clutter during the tenancy.

My finding is that the information available to me is not sufficient to conclude that it is proven, to the standard of “more likely than not” that the damage to the kitchen bench or the kitchen shelf is due to some careless or intentional action by the tenant.

It is possible that the water damage to the bench has resulted from the crack, which would allow water to track underneath the laminate surface material and into the timber (probably composite wood) underneath. Having regard to the location and size of the crack, it is not possible to conclude whether it resulted from tenant carelessness or age / wear and tear.

In terms of the shelf, the photographs show that the shelf is not straight, but provide no clue as to the possible cause of this.

This part of the landlord’s claim is not proven. Laundry door frame

The end of tenancy photograph shows damage to the bottom of the outside of the laundry door, consistent with dog chewing or scratching.

[The landlord’s representative/s] did not have a photograph showing the condition of this part of the door at the beginning of the tenancy.

Mr Prinsloo acknowledged that he kept his dog in this back yard area when he was at work.

The burden of proof that applies in this Tribunal is “more likely than not”.

Having regard to the nature of the damage, my finding is that it is more likely than not that it was caused by Mr Prinsloo’s dog.

The claim seeks compensation of $200, which seems excessive for repair of damage to this small area. I will award $120. Moisture barrier

Mr Prinsloo affixed black plastic sheeting, the type commonly used as a moisture barrier, to the ceiling in the downstairs room.

The claim seeks compensation for removing the plastic, and compensation for the material itself on the grounds that Mr Prinsloo allegedly used spare / offcut moisture barrier material that the landlord had stored underneath the house.

Mr Prinsloo agrees that he put the plastic up and failed to take it down, but he denied that he used the landlord’s moisture barrier material. He said that he purchased the material itself.

There is not enough evidence to establish that Mr Prinsloo took and used the landlord’s material.

I will award $25 for the removal of the material. Wall in garage

Mr Prinsloo acknowledged that he cut a circular hole in part of a plywood wall in the garage.

The claim seeks compensation of $200. I agree that this figure is reasonable – repair would require removal and replacement of that sheet of plywood. Filing fee, name suppression

The landlord was substantially successful in this application. On that basis, name suppression is granted to the landlord 3 and I will also award the landlord the filing fee for this application. 4

Reasons

Background

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5115268 — net $1,123.90 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Garden tidy up	$192.90	Garden tidy up
Cleaning	$506.00	14. I will award the amount of the [Cleaning Company] invoice.
Compensation: Damage to laundry door	$120.00	Damage to laundry door
Remove moisture barrier	$25.00	Remove moisture barrier
Compensation: Damage to wall in garage	$253.00	Damage to wall in garage
Filing fee reimbursement	$27.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,123.90
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,123.90