How much money was awarded in case 5273160?

Cleaning: $120.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $514.29 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $170.10 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5273160?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears. Related themes: Cleanliness.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5273160?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12666216-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

How much money was awarded in case 5273160?

Cleaning: $120.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $514.29 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $170.10 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5273160?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears. Related themes: Cleanliness.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5273160?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12666216-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

12 Turaki Street, Taumarunui 3920 Tenancy Tribunal Case 5273160 — Rent arrears

Q: What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5273160 about?

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

Tenantcheck Insights

Order

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5273160 — net $204.39 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 16 April 2025	$514.29	Rent arrears to 16 April 2025
Rubbish removal	$170.10	Rubbish removal
Cleaning	$120.00	Cleaning
Net award	$204.39
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$204.39

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

The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $600.00 ([Bond number suppressed]) to Property Brokers Limited As Agent For Harmel Singh Toor immediately.

[The tenant/s] must pay Property Brokers Limited As Agent For Harmel Singh Toor $204.39 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.

Reasons

Only the landlord attended the hearing which was held by video conference.

The tenant sent an email to the Registry prior to the hearing stating that she could not attend but did not seek an adjournment and set out her position in response to the landlord’s claims.

The landlord has applied for rent arrears, compensation, refund of the bond, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.

How much is owed for rent?

The tenancy began on 15 December 2023 and ended on 16 April 2025. The landlord produced rent records proving that the amount of $514.79 was owing at the end of the tenancy.

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

At the end of the tenancy the tenant must leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, remove all rubbish, return all keys and security devices, and leave all chattels provided for their benefit. See section 40(1)(e)(ii)-(v) Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

The landlord said that the tenant did not remove all rubbish. They produced an exit inspection report showing various items left in cupboards and items outside. The landlord produced an invoice for rubbish removal in the amount of $170.10 which I consider reasonable in the circumstances. The claim for rubbish removal is proved.

The landlord said that the tenant did not leave the property reasonably clean and tidy and that the carpet smelled of cat urine. The landlord referred to the exit inspection report, various close up photos, and email correspondence with the tenant about the cat.

The landlord produced an invoice in the amount of $368.00 for cleaning ($207 for carpet cleaning and $161.00 for cleaning).

The tenant denied having a cat. Neither of the property managers who attended the exit inspection provided a statement or gave evidence at the hearing. I am not satisfied that the landlord has proved on the balance of probabilities that the carpet smelled. I note in addition that the carpet appears to be quite old and the entry inspection notes various stains. It is likely that the carpet would have required cleaning anyway.

With regard to general cleaning, I begin by noting that tenants do not need to leave the property in a perfect condition ready for a new tenant to move into. It is expected that landlords will need to do some additional cleaning in between tenancies. Having reviewed the photos I consider that the tenant left the property fairly close to the “reasonably clean and tidy” standard but that many of the surfaces needed to be wiped down (bench, inside, cupboards, stove etc).

I consider that the sum of $120.00 is a reasonable portion of the cleaning invoice to get the property up to a “reasonably clean and tidy” standard. This claim is proved in part. Bond

The tenant had expressed concern in correspondence that she paid a bond of $1600 but that the landlord had only lodged a bond of $600. That bond is still held at the Bond Centre.

The landlord explained that the bond was paid much later in the tenancy, there was no narration indicating that the funds paid were for the bond, and as the rent was in arrears $1000 of the amount paid went to rent arrears.

I went through the rent summary carefully with the landlord and am satisfied that rent was in arrears at the time the bond was paid and so $1000 has been applied to rent.

If the bond had been correctly applied there would be additional rent arrears instead, and so the overall outcome would not change for the tenant.

The bond currently held ($600) is released to the landlord. Filing fee and name suppression

As the landlord has been substantially successful in their claim I have reimbursed the filing fee.

The landlord did not seek an order for name suppression.

Although the tenant did not attend the hearing, I understand that she was unable to do so due to work commitments. In her email to the Tribunal the tenant had clearly considered the landlord’s claim and had set out her proposal for resolution, which is very similar to the order that I have made. If she had been able to attend I would have treated this order as a mediated order and it would not have been published. In the circumstances I have exercised my discretion to make an order suppressing the tenant’s name.

Order

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5273160 — net $204.39 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 16 April 2025	$514.29	Rent arrears to 16 April 2025
Rubbish removal	$170.10	Rubbish removal
Cleaning	$120.00	Cleaning
Net award	$204.39
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$204.39