What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5324224 about?

The tribunal order states: The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $3,200.00 (BN-00117695) immediately

How much money was awarded in case 5324224?

Rent: $2,257.16 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5324224?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears. Related themes: Exemplary damages.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5324224?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12876901-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5324224 about?

The tribunal order states: The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $3,200.00 (BN-00117695) immediately

How much money was awarded in case 5324224?

Rent: $2,257.16 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5324224?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears. Related themes: Exemplary damages.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5324224?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12876901-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

7 Riroriro Close, Papakura 2110 Tenancy Tribunal Case 5324224 — Rent arrears

Tenantcheck Insights

Reasons

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5324224. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Tenant	Reason
Rent to 7 September 2025	$2,257.16		Rent to 7 September 2025

The landlord and two of the tenants attended the hearing today.

On 25 August 2025, the landlord applied for termination, rent arrears, refund of the bond and reimbursement of the filing fee.

On 3 September 2025, the tenants applied to be released from a fixed term tenancy and for exemplary damages for late lodgement of the bond.

The parties signed a residential tenancy agreement for a fixed term from 16 April 2025 to 16 April 2026 at a weekly rent of $800.00. Rent and Water

The parties signed an agreement to release Ms Green from the tenancy and replace her as a tenant with her brother David (who did not attend today). There are two versions of this document on the file. They differ in that one version limits Ms Green’s liability for rent to 12 August 2025 and the other to 17 August 2025. It appears that David has only signed the second version, on 14 August 2025.

The tenants returned the keys and vacated on 7 September 2025. I understood that David did not take over the tenancy. The tenants did not dispute liability for rent to 7 September 2025. I consider it is appropriate to award rent to this date, on the basis that the tenants continued to reside at the premises.

The landlord also sought to claim for unpaid water charges at the hearing. There was no claim for water in the application form and no invoices had been provided. The landlord emailed in an invoice for the period 30 July to 28 August 2025 during the hearing. This refers to a previous invoice balance. The Tribunal does not know whether this unpaid balance is for water use (for which the tenant is responsible) or fixed charges (which the landlord must pay). The tenants said that they had made an additional payment for water of $104.00 which the landlord said was for May 2025.

The Tribunal is unable to determine whether the tenants owe anything for water charges on the evidence available. If the landlord requires the matter to be determined, the landlord should make a formal application and provide the invoices, together with a schedule showing the amounts due and the amounts paid. This should not delay the refund of the balance of the bond to the tenants. Bond Lodgement

The tenants applied for exemplary damages for late lodgement of the bond. Section 19 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 provides that the bond must be lodged within 23 working days of receipt. It is unclear when exactly the bond was paid to the landlord: the tenants said it was paid before the tenancy started on 16 April 2025 and I take this as the date of payment.

The bond was lodged on 23 July 2025 which is more than 23 working days from the beginning of the tenancy. The landlord said it was an oversight and they did not intend to hold on to the tenant’s money. The tenants said they had been caused hardship because they had to obtain a further bond from WINZ to enable them to move to another property.

The Tribunal takes the obligation on landlords to lodge bonds seriously. It is a fundamental obligation on landlords which secures the tenant’s money. However, it must also be acknowledged that mistakes sometimes happen and that landlords, aware of their obligations and intending to comply, are capable of inadvertence.

The Tribunal must be satisfied that the failure to lodge the bond on time was intentional and that it would be just to award exemplary damages. I am not satisfied that the landlord deliberately failed to lodge the bond within 23 working days, and they have not pleaded ignorance of their obligations.

Furthermore, the bond had been lodged before the tenants vacated, and both the landlord and the tenants had filed applications with the Tribunal before the tenancy ended on 7 September 2025. Even if the bond had been lodged within 23 working days, on this timeframe the tenants would still have had to request a second bond from WINZ. For these reasons, I decline to award compensation or exemplary damages for late lodgement of the bond. Filing Fee

The outcome in this case is a split bond order. I consider it is appropriate that the parties bear their own costs.

Reasons

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5324224. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Tenant	Reason
Rent to 7 September 2025	$2,257.16		Rent to 7 September 2025

The landlord and two of the tenants attended the hearing today.

On 25 August 2025, the landlord applied for termination, rent arrears, refund of the bond and reimbursement of the filing fee.

On 3 September 2025, the tenants applied to be released from a fixed term tenancy and for exemplary damages for late lodgement of the bond.

The parties signed a residential tenancy agreement for a fixed term from 16 April 2025 to 16 April 2026 at a weekly rent of $800.00. Rent and Water

The outcome in this case is a split bond order. I consider it is appropriate that the parties bear their own costs.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5324224 — Rent arrears at 7 Riroriro Close, Papakura 2110

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5324224 — Rent arrears at 7 Riroriro Close, Papakura 2110

At a glance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Reduce avoidable tribunal risk with proper tenant checks.

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Reduce avoidable tribunal risk with proper tenant checks.