How much money was awarded in case 5260639?

Filing Fee: $27.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $5,655.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5260639?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5260639?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12031317-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

How much money was awarded in case 5260639?

Filing Fee: $27.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $5,655.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5260639?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5260639?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12031317-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5260639 — Rent arrears

Q: What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5260639 about?

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

Order

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5260639 — net $3,942.00 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 23 June 2025	$5,655.00	15. The amount of rent arrears is proven.
Filing fee reimbursement	$27.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$3,942.00
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$3,942.00

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord name and identifying details.

The tenancy of Lovepreet Singh and Komalpreet Kaur at [tenancy address suppressed] is terminated, and possession is granted to [The landlord/s], at

59pm on Monday 23 June 2025.

The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,740.00 ([Bond number suppressed]) to [The landlord/s] immediately.

Lovepreet Singh and Komalpreet Kaur must pay [The landlord/s] $3,942.00 immediately, calculated as shown in the table below:

Reasons

Mr Singh and Ms Kaur entered into a one-year fixed term tenancy commencing on 4 March 2025.

The tenants paid two-weeks rent in advance at the start of the tenancy and made one more rent payment of $435.00 on 19 March 2025. Those are the only rent payments that were made.

The tenants left the property in late March.

The landlord’s application seeks rent arrears.

The hearing took place by video on 23 June 2025. Both parties attended the hearing. [The landlord’s representative/s] represented [The landlord/s].

Mr Singh said that: a. The property was “unhealthy and unliveable” when they moved in. b. They had to travel to India due to ill health, possibly caused by the condition of the property. c. Both he and his wife lost their jobs. They cannot afford this tenancy and they may need to move out of the area to find work. d. He does not understand English well and he did not understand about fixed-term tenancies when he signed the tenancy agreement.

The issues that Mr Singh lists under the heading “unhealthy and unliveable conditions” are, with due respect, relatively minor. Mr Singh said that there was no lock on the bathroom, the bathroom light didn’t work, the carpet smelled bad, and there were marks on the walls.

[The landlord’s representative/s] provided a copy of the entry inspection report and photographs. The photographs show that the unit was in a reasonably clean and tidy condition at the start of the tenancy.

A written tenancy agreement is a complex document, and I accept that Mr Singh did not fully understand the obligation that he was taking on.

However, Mr Singh was not under any pressure to sign the agreement. He would have been aware that he was signing a serious and binding written contract. If Mr Singh was unsure about what he was signing he had the option of seeking help. [The landlord/s] did not have an obligation to ensure that Mr Singh read and understood the terms of the agreement.

A landlord or tenant may bring an application to the Tenancy Tribunal asking to be released from a fixed term tenancy if they have suffered an unforeseen change of circumstances that would cause them a severe hardship if they remained in the fixed term tenancy. 1 Mr Singh and Ms Kaur’s health and employment issues could be grounds for such an application. However, no application was filed in this instance. 1 Section 66 Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“RTA”)

Leaving the property does not end the fixed-term tenancy. The fixed-term tenancy can only be ended by agreement between landlord and tenant or by an order from this Tribunal.

At the hearing [The landlord’s representative/s] agreed to end the tenancy that day, 23 June 2025.

Mr Singh and Ms Kaur are liable for rent up to that date.

The amount of rent arrears is proven.

The landlord has been successful in this application, and I must also award the landlord the filing fee of $27.00. 2

The landlord sought name suppression. Name suppression is granted on the grounds that the landlord was substantially successful in the proceedings. 3

The bond will be released to the landlord. The tenants owe the landlord an amount of $3,942.00 in addition to the bond. The order states the tenants are to pay this amount immediately. Clearly this will not be possible due to the tenants’ financial circumstances. To avoid debt collection costs I suggest that the tenants contact the landlords to make an arrangement for payment of the debt over time, and that the landlord takes a practical approach, recognising that it will take some time for the tenants to clear the debt.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5260639 — net $3,942.00 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 23 June 2025	$5,655.00	15. The amount of rent arrears is proven.
Filing fee reimbursement	$27.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$3,942.00
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$3,942.00

Order

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord name and identifying details.
The tenancy of Lovepreet Singh and Komalpreet Kaur at [tenancy address suppressed] is terminated, and possession is granted to [The landlord/s], at
59pm on Monday 23 June 2025.
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,740.00 ([Bond number suppressed]) to [The landlord/s] immediately.
Lovepreet Singh and Komalpreet Kaur must pay [The landlord/s] $3,942.00 immediately, calculated as shown in the table below:

Reasons

Mr Singh and Ms Kaur entered into a one-year fixed term tenancy commencing on 4 March 2025.
The tenants paid two-weeks rent in advance at the start of the tenancy and made one more rent payment of $435.00 on 19 March 2025. Those are the only rent payments that were made.
The tenants left the property in late March.
The landlord’s application seeks rent arrears.
The hearing took place by video on 23 June 2025. Both parties attended the hearing. [The landlord’s representative/s] represented [The landlord/s].
Mr Singh said that: a. The property was “unhealthy and unliveable” when they moved in. b. They had to travel to India due to ill health, possibly caused by the condition of the property. c. Both he and his wife lost their jobs. They cannot afford this tenancy and they may need to move out of the area to find work. d. He does not understand English well and he did not understand about fixed-term tenancies when he signed the tenancy agreement.
The issues that Mr Singh lists under the heading “unhealthy and unliveable conditions” are, with due respect, relatively minor. Mr Singh said that there was no lock on the bathroom, the bathroom light didn’t work, the carpet smelled bad, and there were marks on the walls.
[The landlord’s representative/s] provided a copy of the entry inspection report and photographs. The photographs show that the unit was in a reasonably clean and tidy condition at the start of the tenancy.
A written tenancy agreement is a complex document, and I accept that Mr Singh did not fully understand the obligation that he was taking on.
However, Mr Singh was not under any pressure to sign the agreement. He would have been aware that he was signing a serious and binding written contract. If Mr Singh was unsure about what he was signing he had the option of seeking help. [The landlord/s] did not have an obligation to ensure that Mr Singh read and understood the terms of the agreement.
A landlord or tenant may bring an application to the Tenancy Tribunal asking to be released from a fixed term tenancy if they have suffered an unforeseen change of circumstances that would cause them a severe hardship if they remained in the fixed term tenancy. 1 Mr Singh and Ms Kaur’s health and employment issues could be grounds for such an application. However, no application was filed in this instance. 1 Section 66 Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“RTA”)
Leaving the property does not end the fixed-term tenancy. The fixed-term tenancy can only be ended by agreement between landlord and tenant or by an order from this Tribunal.
At the hearing [The landlord’s representative/s] agreed to end the tenancy that day, 23 June 2025.
Mr Singh and Ms Kaur are liable for rent up to that date.
The amount of rent arrears is proven.
The landlord has been successful in this application, and I must also award the landlord the filing fee of $27.00. 2
The landlord sought name suppression. Name suppression is granted on the grounds that the landlord was substantially successful in the proceedings. 3
The bond will be released to the landlord. The tenants owe the landlord an amount of $3,942.00 in addition to the bond. The order states the tenants are to pay this amount immediately. Clearly this will not be possible due to the tenants’ financial circumstances. To avoid debt collection costs I suggest that the tenants contact the landlords to make an arrangement for payment of the debt over time, and that the landlord takes a practical approach, recognising that it will take some time for the tenants to clear the debt.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5260639 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5260639 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions