What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5340751 about?

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

How much money was awarded in case 5340751?

Broken Storage Box: $291.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Outgoings (Electricity, Lawns, Inter…: $987.85 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $7,500.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $610.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5340751?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5340751?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13123016-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5340751 about?

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

How much money was awarded in case 5340751?

Broken Storage Box: $291.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Outgoings (Electricity, Lawns, Inter…: $987.85 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $7,500.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $610.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5340751?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5340751?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13123016-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5340751 — Rent arrears

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5340751 — net $8,316.85 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$7,500.00	Rent arrears
Outgoings (electricity, lawns, internet	$987.85	Outgoings (electricity, lawns, internet
Broken storage box	$291.00	Broken storage box
Cleaning and rubbish removal	$610.00	30. The cost of replacing the box is proven.
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$8,316.85
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$8,316.85

Order

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord name and identifying details. 2. 3.

Reasons

Background

This was a fixed term tenancy from 15 May 2025 to 29 September 2025.
The landlord was overseas for the period of the tenancy, and part of the agreement was that “there will be a car parked in the garage and there will be personal effects left in the house”.
The rent was $500.00 per week. It was agreed that Ms Hakopa would pay $50.00 per week in addition to the rent towards electricity, internet, and lawn mowing.
The landlord’s application sought rent arrears, outgoings, change of locks, compensation for damage to the landlord’s property, legal costs, and cleaning & rubbish removal costs.
The hearing took place in [event location suppressed] on 13 February 2026.
The day before the hearing, Ms Hakopa sent an email to the Tribunal stating that she was in Auckland and was unable to travel to the hearing. Ms Hakopa said “I cannot take calls from my location as it’s rural Auckland”.
Ms Hakopa did not request an adjournment.
The Registrar replied to Ms Hakopa’s email at 1.12pm: The Tribunal will phone you on the number provided Please see if you can find somewhere with reception to take this call. Please find attached copy of the landlord’s application
Ms Hakopa did not reply until 9.29am, one minute before the scheduled start time of the hearing on 13 February. Ms Hakopa provided an updated phone number but stated “unfortunately reception is not good”. She also made comments in response to the landlord’s claims.
The Registrar attempted to call Ms Hakopa on the new phone number. The phone rang many times, so it was not outside of the coverage area, but there was no answer.
I decided to proceed with the hearing in Ms Hakopa’s absence on the grounds that: a. Ms Hakopa had adequate opportunity to request an adjournment, or to make herself available to attend the hearing by phone. b. Ms Hakopa’s emails to the Tribunal stated that she accepted all of the costs claimed by the landlord except for replacement of the storage box and for [The landlord/s] time in reinstating her belongings. Ms Hakopa made written submissions in respect of those claims, which I have addressed below. Rent arrears
The tenancy went for 21 weeks. The rent was $500 per week. The total rent due for the tenancy was $10,500.00.
Ms Hakopa made 6 payments of $550.00 ($500 towards rent and $50 towards outgoings).
There are proven rent arrears of $7,500.00. Outgoings
Per the terms of the agreement, Ms Hakopa was required to pay for power, internet, and lawnmowing.
The proven electricity cost from the beginning of the tenancy to the end of August is $642.05. [The landlord/s] did not provide data for power use in September.
Internet was $103.95 per month and lawns $57.50.
Ms Hakopa owes $987.85 for outgoings calculated as follows: Power (does not include September)$642.05 Internet and lawns for June – September (4 months)$645.80 Less payments towards outgoings (6 x $50)$300.00 Balance:$987.85 Change of locks
Ms Hakopa returned keys and a garage door opener that do not belong to this property. Ms Hakopa did not return either of the two keys that [The landlord/s] gave to her.
The change of locks cost was $297.00.
At the hearing, [The landlord/s] said that this cost was covered by her insurance, and she did not have to pay an excess. Therefore, I have not made an order against Ms Hakopa for this cost. Legal costs
[The landlord/s] sought legal assistance with filing this application.
[The landlord/s] was entitled to do this, but Ms Hakopa is not liable for this cost. Storage box
A large black plastic storage box / chest was damaged during the tenancy.
[The landlord/s] provided a photograph of the box. It has a large crack on the front, extending from the top almost to the bottom of the box.
In Ms Hakopa’s email to the Tribunal she states: I will accept all costs except the storage box which I wrote and told the landlord I found it across the way in a driveway after a storm
In any claim for damage, the landlord must prove that the damage occurred during the tenancy and that it is beyond fair wear and tear. 1
The tenant is then liable unless the tenant can prove that the damage was not caused by any careless or intentional action by themselves or by anyone who was at the premises with their consent. 2
In this instance: a. The damage occurred during the tenancy and it is beyond fair wear and tear. b. It is not proven, to the standard of “more likely than not”, that the damage happened in the circumstances that Ms Hakopa described. [The landlord/s] provided photographs showing the condition of the premises when she left. Her belongings that were not left for Ms Hakopa’s use were securely and carefully stored. It is not plausible that this storage box was picked up by the wind and blown across a driveway.
The cost of replacing the box is proven. Cleaning, rubbish removal, reinstating landlord’s property
The claim seeks compensation for 20 hours of the landlord’s work in cleaning, rubbish removal and reinstating her belongings.
Tenants must leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and remove all rubbish at the end of the tenancy. 3
[The landlord/s] provided photographs showing the condition of the premises at the end of the tenancy.
The premises did not meet the standard of reasonably clean and tidy. The oven (which was new at the beginning of the tenancy) was dirty. Surfaces had not been wiped. There were marks on the walls. The shower gully trap was clogged with the tenant’s hair.
Ms Hakopa left behind rubbish and a chest of drawers. 1 Section 49B(2) Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“RTA”) 2 Section 49B(8) RTA 3 Section 40(1)(e)(iii) RTA
Ms Hakopa moved [The landlord/s] belongings during the tenancy and did not reinstate them at the end.
[The landlord/s] found her bed in the garage, and the feet of the bed (which Ms Hakopa had removed) in a cupboard.
Ms Hakopa took down all of the landlord’s photographs.
In her email to the Tribunal, Ms Hakopa disputed this part of the landlord’s claim, stating: Her excess furniture which I also informed her was put away safely in her garage for safe keeping, or all of her ornaments were put into one cupboard as I had a little children visit best to put away as landlord expressed they were her mothers. Some photos move in the wind and pictures looked valuable so best stored safely in one wardrobe all this I informed the agent to convey back to the landlady so she knew everything was safe.
It was appropriate for Ms Hakopa to move the landlord’s chattels if she was concerned that they may be broken accidentally. However, she should have put them back in place at the end of the tenancy.
The number of hours claimed for cleaning, rubbish removal and reinstating belongings (20 hours) is reasonable. I will apply a rate of $30 per hour for the landlord’s own labour. Bond, filing fee, name suppression
The landlord has been successful in this application, and I will also award the landlord the filing fee of $28.00. 4
Both parties sought name suppression. Name suppression is granted to the landlord on the grounds that she was substantially successful in the proceedings. 5
Ms Hakopa was not substantially successful in the proceedings and there are no special considerations that warrant the Tribunal exercising its discretion to grant name suppression to any party, having regard to the interests of the parties and to the public interest. 6 Therefore, name suppression is not granted to the tenant.
The proven claim exceeds the bond. The bond will be released to the landlord. N Blake 4 Section 102(b)(b) RTA 5 Section 95A(1) RTA 6 Section 95A(4) RTA 13 February 2026

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5340751 — net $8,316.85 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$7,500.00	Rent arrears
Outgoings (electricity, lawns, internet	$987.85	Outgoings (electricity, lawns, internet
Broken storage box	$291.00	Broken storage box
Cleaning and rubbish removal	$610.00	30. The cost of replacing the box is proven.
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$8,316.85
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$8,316.85

Order

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord name and identifying details. 2. 3.

Reasons

Background

This was a fixed term tenancy from 15 May 2025 to 29 September 2025.
The landlord was overseas for the period of the tenancy, and part of the agreement was that “there will be a car parked in the garage and there will be personal effects left in the house”.
The rent was $500.00 per week. It was agreed that Ms Hakopa would pay $50.00 per week in addition to the rent towards electricity, internet, and lawn mowing.
The landlord’s application sought rent arrears, outgoings, change of locks, compensation for damage to the landlord’s property, legal costs, and cleaning & rubbish removal costs.
The hearing took place in [event location suppressed] on 13 February 2026.
The day before the hearing, Ms Hakopa sent an email to the Tribunal stating that she was in Auckland and was unable to travel to the hearing. Ms Hakopa said “I cannot take calls from my location as it’s rural Auckland”.
Ms Hakopa did not request an adjournment.
The Registrar replied to Ms Hakopa’s email at 1.12pm: The Tribunal will phone you on the number provided Please see if you can find somewhere with reception to take this call. Please find attached copy of the landlord’s application
Ms Hakopa did not reply until 9.29am, one minute before the scheduled start time of the hearing on 13 February. Ms Hakopa provided an updated phone number but stated “unfortunately reception is not good”. She also made comments in response to the landlord’s claims.
The Registrar attempted to call Ms Hakopa on the new phone number. The phone rang many times, so it was not outside of the coverage area, but there was no answer.
I decided to proceed with the hearing in Ms Hakopa’s absence on the grounds that: a. Ms Hakopa had adequate opportunity to request an adjournment, or to make herself available to attend the hearing by phone. b. Ms Hakopa’s emails to the Tribunal stated that she accepted all of the costs claimed by the landlord except for replacement of the storage box and for [The landlord/s] time in reinstating her belongings. Ms Hakopa made written submissions in respect of those claims, which I have addressed below. Rent arrears
The tenancy went for 21 weeks. The rent was $500 per week. The total rent due for the tenancy was $10,500.00.
Ms Hakopa made 6 payments of $550.00 ($500 towards rent and $50 towards outgoings).
There are proven rent arrears of $7,500.00. Outgoings
Per the terms of the agreement, Ms Hakopa was required to pay for power, internet, and lawnmowing.
The proven electricity cost from the beginning of the tenancy to the end of August is $642.05. [The landlord/s] did not provide data for power use in September.
Internet was $103.95 per month and lawns $57.50.
Ms Hakopa owes $987.85 for outgoings calculated as follows: Power (does not include September)$642.05 Internet and lawns for June – September (4 months)$645.80 Less payments towards outgoings (6 x $50)$300.00 Balance:$987.85 Change of locks
Ms Hakopa returned keys and a garage door opener that do not belong to this property. Ms Hakopa did not return either of the two keys that [The landlord/s] gave to her.
The change of locks cost was $297.00.
At the hearing, [The landlord/s] said that this cost was covered by her insurance, and she did not have to pay an excess. Therefore, I have not made an order against Ms Hakopa for this cost. Legal costs
[The landlord/s] sought legal assistance with filing this application.
[The landlord/s] was entitled to do this, but Ms Hakopa is not liable for this cost. Storage box
A large black plastic storage box / chest was damaged during the tenancy.
[The landlord/s] provided a photograph of the box. It has a large crack on the front, extending from the top almost to the bottom of the box.
In Ms Hakopa’s email to the Tribunal she states: I will accept all costs except the storage box which I wrote and told the landlord I found it across the way in a driveway after a storm
In any claim for damage, the landlord must prove that the damage occurred during the tenancy and that it is beyond fair wear and tear. 1
The tenant is then liable unless the tenant can prove that the damage was not caused by any careless or intentional action by themselves or by anyone who was at the premises with their consent. 2
In this instance: a. The damage occurred during the tenancy and it is beyond fair wear and tear. b. It is not proven, to the standard of “more likely than not”, that the damage happened in the circumstances that Ms Hakopa described. [The landlord/s] provided photographs showing the condition of the premises when she left. Her belongings that were not left for Ms Hakopa’s use were securely and carefully stored. It is not plausible that this storage box was picked up by the wind and blown across a driveway.
The cost of replacing the box is proven. Cleaning, rubbish removal, reinstating landlord’s property
The claim seeks compensation for 20 hours of the landlord’s work in cleaning, rubbish removal and reinstating her belongings.
Tenants must leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and remove all rubbish at the end of the tenancy. 3
[The landlord/s] provided photographs showing the condition of the premises at the end of the tenancy.
The premises did not meet the standard of reasonably clean and tidy. The oven (which was new at the beginning of the tenancy) was dirty. Surfaces had not been wiped. There were marks on the walls. The shower gully trap was clogged with the tenant’s hair.
Ms Hakopa left behind rubbish and a chest of drawers. 1 Section 49B(2) Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“RTA”) 2 Section 49B(8) RTA 3 Section 40(1)(e)(iii) RTA
Ms Hakopa moved [The landlord/s] belongings during the tenancy and did not reinstate them at the end.
[The landlord/s] found her bed in the garage, and the feet of the bed (which Ms Hakopa had removed) in a cupboard.
Ms Hakopa took down all of the landlord’s photographs.
In her email to the Tribunal, Ms Hakopa disputed this part of the landlord’s claim, stating: Her excess furniture which I also informed her was put away safely in her garage for safe keeping, or all of her ornaments were put into one cupboard as I had a little children visit best to put away as landlord expressed they were her mothers. Some photos move in the wind and pictures looked valuable so best stored safely in one wardrobe all this I informed the agent to convey back to the landlady so she knew everything was safe.
It was appropriate for Ms Hakopa to move the landlord’s chattels if she was concerned that they may be broken accidentally. However, she should have put them back in place at the end of the tenancy.
The number of hours claimed for cleaning, rubbish removal and reinstating belongings (20 hours) is reasonable. I will apply a rate of $30 per hour for the landlord’s own labour. Bond, filing fee, name suppression
The landlord has been successful in this application, and I will also award the landlord the filing fee of $28.00. 4
Both parties sought name suppression. Name suppression is granted to the landlord on the grounds that she was substantially successful in the proceedings. 5
Ms Hakopa was not substantially successful in the proceedings and there are no special considerations that warrant the Tribunal exercising its discretion to grant name suppression to any party, having regard to the interests of the parties and to the public interest. 6 Therefore, name suppression is not granted to the tenant.
The proven claim exceeds the bond. The bond will be released to the landlord. N Blake 4 Section 102(b)(b) RTA 5 Section 95A(1) RTA 6 Section 95A(4) RTA 13 February 2026

Tenancy Tribunal case 5340751 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5340751 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions