Tenantcheck Insights · Case study

Tenancy Tribunal case 5285082 — Property damage at 4 Bullock Place, Ilam, Christchurch 8041

Decided 29 Aug 2025 · Published 29 Aug 2025 · Application 5285082

Property damage
Rent arrears
Cleanliness

View official order on MoJ →Explore similar cases

At a glance

Key facts from the published tribunal order.

Location

Christchurch

Tribunal region

Adjudicator

J Greene

Dispute themes

Award balance

Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.

Gross award: $11,071.31
Bond payment as ordered: −$2,120.00
Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord: $8,951.31

Claims & awards

What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5285082 — net $8,951.31 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears (rent in lieu of notice) to 24 April 2025	$2,262.86	Rent arrears (rent in lieu of notice) to 24 April 2025
Lock/key replacement	$394.45	Lock/key replacement
Cleaning and repairs	$977.50	Cleaning and repairs
Plastering repairs to ceiling and walls	$977.50	Plastering repairs to ceiling and walls

Order

[The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay Rempstone Property Management Limited as agent for Xiaodong Wang and [The tenant/s] landlord/s] $8,951.31 immediately, calculated as shown in table below:
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,120.00 (5425541-003) to Rempstone Property Management Limited as agent for Xiaodong Wang and [The tenant/s] landlord/s] immediately.

Reasons

Ms Sun represented the landlord. The tenant did not attend. I am satisfied that details of the hearing were emailed to the tenant and that she was aware of the hearing taking place.
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 tenant emailed the owner of the premises on 3 April 2025 and gave 1 week’s notice to end the tenancy. The tenant was required to give 21 days’ notice to end the tenancy. I have awarded the landlord rent in lieu of notice.
The landlord provided rent records which prove the amount of rent owing at the end of the notice period.

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 (RTA).
The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The carpets had to be cleaned and treated for carpet moth. The carpet cleaning did not remove all stains.
The tenant did not return the keys.
Some established plants had been removed from the garden and had to be replaced.
The amounts ordered are proved by invoices, photos, and by the evidence Ms Sun gave at the hearing.

Is the tenant responsible for the damage to the premises?

A landlord must prove that damage to the premises occurred during the tenancy and is more than fair wear and tear. If this is established, to avoid liability, the tenant must prove they did not carelessly or intentionally cause or permit the damage. Tenants are liable for the actions of people at the premises with their permission. See sections 40(2)(a), 41 and 49B RTA.
The following damage was caused during the tenancy: curtain hooks had to be replaced; the lounge door hinge had to be replaced; a light switch cover and a power point had to be replaced; heat lamps and lights bulbs in the bathroom had to be replaced; the laundry sink had to be secured to the floor. The heated towel rail was damaged. The ceiling and wall in a bedroom had to be plastered and painted. The alarm system was damaged. Clear lite roofing on an outside structure was damaged The carpets were damaged by stains that could not be removed and will require replacement at a later stage.
The damage is more than fair wear and tear, and the tenant has not disproved liability for the damage.
The amounts ordered are proved by invoices and photos and by the evidence Ms Sun gave at the hearing.
I have awarded compensation only (not the replacement cost) for the damaged carpet and the clear lite roofing to take depreciation and fair wear and tear into account. The carpet cleaning could not remove all the stains and the carpet will need to be replaced. After a tenancy of nearly 7 years, the carpet is depreciated by about one half. Also, another tenancy has started, and the carpet has not yet been replaced.
As the application is successful, I award the landlord the filing fee.

Topics & place

Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).

Property damage Rent arrears Cleanliness Christchurch

Residential Tenancies Act sections

s40(1), s40(2)

Key findings

Dispute theme: rent arrears
Dispute theme: property damage
Dispute theme: cleaning

Property management

Rempstone Property Management on behalf owner Wang, Xiaodong & Zhang,Ran (applicant)

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5285082 about?

The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay Rempstone Property Management Limited as agent

How much money was awarded in case 5285082?

Cleaning: $1,046.50 awarded to landlord; Carpet Moth Treatment: $230.00 awarded to landlord; Cleaning: $977.50 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $27.00 awarded to landlord; Lawns and Garden Work: $402.50 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $394.45 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $977.50 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $356.50 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $2,000.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $200.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $1,495.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $2,262.86 awarded to landlord; Replace Plants Removed By Tenant: $172.50 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $529.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5285082?

The primary dispute was Property damage. Related themes: Rent arrears, Cleanliness.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5285082?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12338860-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

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Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5285082 — net $8,951.31 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.

Claim

Landlord

Tenant

Reason

Rent arrears (rent in lieu of notice) to 24 April 2025

$2,262.86

Rent arrears (rent in lieu of notice) to 24 April 2025

Lock/key replacement

$394.45

Lock/key replacement

Cleaning and repairs

$977.50

Cleaning and repairs

Plastering repairs to ceiling and walls

$977.50

Plastering repairs to ceiling and walls

Order

[The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay Rempstone Property Management Limited as agent for Xiaodong Wang and [The tenant/s] landlord/s] $8,951.31 immediately, calculated as shown in table below:

The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,120.00 (5425541-003) to Rempstone Property Management Limited as agent for Xiaodong Wang and [The tenant/s] landlord/s] immediately.

Reasons

Ms Sun represented the landlord. The tenant did not attend. I am satisfied that details of the hearing were emailed to the tenant and that she was aware of the hearing taking place.

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 tenant emailed the owner of the premises on 3 April 2025 and gave 1 week’s notice to end the tenancy. The tenant was required to give 21 days’ notice to end the tenancy. I have awarded the landlord rent in lieu of notice.

The landlord provided rent records which prove the amount of rent owing at the end of the notice period.

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 (RTA).

The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The carpets had to be cleaned and treated for carpet moth. The carpet cleaning did not remove all stains.

The tenant did not return the keys.

Some established plants had been removed from the garden and had to be replaced.

The amounts ordered are proved by invoices, photos, and by the evidence Ms Sun gave at the hearing.

Is the tenant responsible for the damage to the premises?

A landlord must prove that damage to the premises occurred during the tenancy and is more than fair wear and tear. If this is established, to avoid liability, the tenant must prove they did not carelessly or intentionally cause or permit the damage. Tenants are liable for the actions of people at the premises with their permission. See sections 40(2)(a), 41 and 49B RTA.

The following damage was caused during the tenancy: curtain hooks had to be replaced; the lounge door hinge had to be replaced; a light switch cover and a power point had to be replaced; heat lamps and lights bulbs in the bathroom had to be replaced; the laundry sink had to be secured to the floor. The heated towel rail was damaged. The ceiling and wall in a bedroom had to be plastered and painted. The alarm system was damaged. Clear lite roofing on an outside structure was damaged The carpets were damaged by stains that could not be removed and will require replacement at a later stage.

The damage is more than fair wear and tear, and the tenant has not disproved liability for the damage.

The amounts ordered are proved by invoices and photos and by the evidence Ms Sun gave at the hearing.

I have awarded compensation only (not the replacement cost) for the damaged carpet and the clear lite roofing to take depreciation and fair wear and tear into account. The carpet cleaning could not remove all the stains and the carpet will need to be replaced. After a tenancy of nearly 7 years, the carpet is depreciated by about one half. Also, another tenancy has started, and the carpet has not yet been replaced.

As the application is successful, I award the landlord the filing fee.

Net award	$8,951.31
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$8,951.31

Net award

$8,951.31

Total payable by Tenant to Landlord

$8,951.31

Net award	$8,951.31
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$8,951.31

Net award

$8,951.31

Total payable by Tenant to Landlord

$8,951.31