Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5320739 — Rent arrears at 25E Lynbrooke Avenue, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0600
Decided 30 January 2026 · Published 30 January 2026 · Application 5320739
Landlord favoured
- Rent arrears
- Cleanliness
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Auckland
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
D Watson
Dispute themes
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent arrears to 6 July 2025 | $5,040.00 | Rent arrears to 6 July 2025 | |
| Cleaning | $300.00 | Cleaning | |
| Water rates | $369.87 | Water rates | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Rubbish removal | $1,092.50 | Rubbish removal | |
| Painting | $300.00 | Painting |
Claims and awards for application 5320739. Verify on MoJ.
Rent arrears to 6 July 2025
- Amount
- $5,040.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rent arrears to 6 July 2025
Cleaning
- Amount
- $300.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Cleaning
Water rates
- Amount
- $369.87
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Water rates
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Rubbish removal
- Amount
- $1,092.50
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rubbish removal
Painting
- Amount
- $300.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Painting
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- Jennifer Vano and Danny Vano must pay Home 365 Property Management Limited as the agent for Chantilly Estate C/O Alazhar Malik $7,130.37 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.
Reasons
- Only the landlord attended the hearing. The tenant said she would be appearing by phone but did not pick up calls and did not appear at the Courthouse.
- The landlord has applied for rent arrears, compensation, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.
How much is owed for rent and water?
- The landlord provided rent records and water rates invoices which prove the amount owing at the end of the tenancy, as ordered above.
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.
- The landlord sought: a. $563.50 for cleaning b. $862.50 for paint damaged by kids’ drawings c. $1858.40 for carpet replacement d. $1092.50 for rubbish removal
- The afternoon prior to the hearing, the landlord submitted an entry and exit report, containing photographs of the premises. The landlord sent this to the tenant as well.
- I am satisfied the tenant left a lot of rubbish behind and I allow that claim, as ordered above.
- I am not satisfied, based on the photographs, that the amount claimed for cleaning should be allowed in full.
- The obligation of the tenant is to leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy. “Reasonably” clean means clean to the standard an average, reasonable bystander would consider reasonable. 1
- The tenant's obligation is not an absolute standard, and it does not mean that the premises will be immaculate, spotless, or commercially clean. It also does not mean that the premises will necessarily be ready for occupation by a new tenant, the owner or ready for sale.
- It is to be expected that a landlord will spend some time (or pay someone else) on cleaning and maintenance work between tenancies. This is part of the 1 Housing New Zealand v Holloway TT Auckland TT215/93, 8 February 1993 business of being a landlord, as is remedying any paint damage caused by wear and tear.
- The test as to whether premises are in a reasonably clean and tidy condition is an objective test, not to be determined based on the subjective opinion of either the landlord or the tenant. Also, a tenant should not be expected to keep the premises any cleaner or tidier than they were at the start of the tenancy.
- In Ace Property Management v Owens 2 , the District Court said: A tenant’s obligation pursuant to the Act to leave a property in a “reasonably clean and reasonable tidy condition” does not mean that it will necessarily be up to a standard that a landlord may consider for a new tenant. It is a mistake for landlords to confuse those two matters.
- I will allow $300 as a contribution to the cleaning cost, as I am satisfied that some cleaning is required, just not the full amount claimed.
- The landlord has also sought the cost of painting and replacing carpets.
- I will allow $300 towards the cost of painting over the kid’s drawings, although I comment that the quality of the evidence here was borderline. I consider the damage to be deliberate.
- I do not allow the repainting cost in full as the rest of the “damage” appears to be scuff marks, consistent with wear and tear.
- I do not allow the claim for carpet replacement. First because the quality of the evidence is poor. I am not satisfied that replacement as opposed to cleaning is the required remedy. Further, the amount claimed is based on a quote. The cost itself has not yet been incurred.
- Because Home 365 Property Management Limited as the agent for Chantilly Estate C/O Alazhar Malik has succeeded with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s2
Key findings
- Dispute theme: rent arrears
- Dispute theme: cleaning
Property management
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5320739?
The tribunal order states: Jennifer Vano and Danny Vano must pay Home 365 Property Management
How much money was awarded in case 5320739?
Cleaning: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Painting: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $5,040.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $1,092.50 awarded to landlord; Water Rates: $369.87 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5320739?
The primary dispute was Rent arrears. Related themes: Cleanliness.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5320739?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13049163-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.