What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5349501 about?

The tribunal order states: The Landlord’s name and identifying details are suppressed.

How much money was awarded in case 5349501?

Cleaning: $220.00 awarded to landlord; Cleaning: $500.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $307.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $3,263.77 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $1,037.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5349501?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5349501?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12978961-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5349501 about?

The tribunal order states: The Landlord’s name and identifying details are suppressed.

How much money was awarded in case 5349501?

Cleaning: $220.00 awarded to landlord; Cleaning: $500.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $307.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $3,263.77 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $1,037.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5349501?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5349501?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12978961-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5349501 — Rent arrears

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5349501 — net $3,475.77 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$3,263.77	Rent arrears
Cleaning	$500.00	Cleaning
Carpet Cleaning	$220.00	Carpet Cleaning
Rubbish removal	$1,037.00	Rubbish removal
Lock/key replacement	$307.00	Lock/key replacement
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$3,475.77
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$3,475.77

Order

The Landlord’s name and identifying details are suppressed.
The Bond Centre is to release the bond [3060655-14] to the Landlord immediately.
must pay immediately, calculated as shown in table below:

Reasons

This tenancy ended on 28 October 2025. The Landlord says that the Tenant owes significant rent arrears, did not leave the premises in a reasonably clean and tidy state, did not remove all her belongings and did not return all keys provided to her at the start of the tenancy.
The Landlord now seeks to recover the unpaid rent, cleaning and rubbish removal costs, the cost of replacing locks and keys and the filing fee for this claim and two earlier claims.
The Tenant did not attend the hearing. Details of the hearing were sent to her in the Notice of Hearing. I also called her at the start of the hearing. She did not answer. The issues
The issues I must determine in this case are: (a)Does the Tenant owe rent? (b)Did the Tenant leave the premises in a reasonably clean and reasonably tidy condition and remove all rubbish? (c)Did the Tenant return all keys? (d)What remedy are the Landlords entitled to?

Does the Tenant owe rent?

The Landlord has provided a rent summary dated 15 January 2026, which shows rent arrears of $3,263.77. I accept that rent summary as an accurate record of the rent payments throughout the Tenancy, and I am satisfied that the Tenant owes that amount as rent arrears. Did the Tenant leave the premises in a reasonably clean and tidy condition and remove all rubbish?
At the end of the tenancy, the Tenant was required to leave the premises in a reasonably clean and reasonably tidy condition and remove or arrange for the removal of all rubbish. 1 She did not. The condition of the premises at the start of the tenancy
The Landlord has provided photographs of the premises at the start of the tenancy. Those photographs show that the premises were clean and tidy and that the carpet in the living area was unstained. 1 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, s 40(1)(e)(iii). The condition of the premises at the end of the tenancy
The Landlord has provided photographs of the premises taken on 29 October 2025, one day after the tenancy ended. Those photographs show that, although the Tenant had generally kept the premises in a reasonable state throughout the tenancy (in that there was no evidence of serious neglect of the premises or significant damage), the Tenant did not adequately clean the premises on her departure.
The Landlord’s photographs show that the premises were not left reasonably clean and reasonably tidy because: (a)Various surfaces, including vinyl floors, benchtops, walls, windowsills, sinks and vanity units were dirty and dusty and required cleaning. (b)The carpet had not been vacuumed and was visually dirty. (c)The kitchen, including the oven and sink, had not been adequately cleaned. (d)The shower was dirty and mouldy. (e)The front door and ranch slider were marked with a market pen and required cleaning. (f)The carpet in the living area was stained, consistent with pot plants being left on the carpet.
The Landlord also says that the carpet had to be deodorised. The Tenant kept a dog at the premises (without the Landlord’s consent), and the premises smelled musty as a result. The Landlord has since had the property cleaned and the carpet steam cleaned and deodorised and seeks to recover those costs.
The Landlord has also proven that the Tenant did not remove all rubbish and abandoned belongings from the premises at the end of the tenancy. The Landlord’s photographs show that the Tenant left behind a substantial amount of rubbish and abandoned belongings in the garage. The Landlord contacted the Tenant to have those items removed, but the Tenant did not respond, so the Landlord arranged for the items to be removed and seeks to recover that cost. Lock and key replacement
The Tenant was required to return to the Landlords all keys provided by the Landlords for the use of the Tenant. 2 The Tenant did not return all the keys as required and the Landlord has since paid to replace the front door and garage door locks and keys.

What remedy is the Landlord entitled to?

Rent arrears 2 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, s 40(1)(e)(iv).

The Landlord is entitled to recover the full rent arrears of $3,263.77. The Tenant was obliged to pay that amount and has not. Cleaning
The Landlord paid $700 to Jay’s Clean n Fresh Ltd to clean the premises at the end of the tenancy. Although the premises were not as reasonably clean and tidy as they should have been, I am not satisfied that all the cleaning performed was required. For example, the evidence provided by the Landlord did not demonstrate that all floors were dirty, or that all the carpet required vacuuming or that the net curtains required replacement. I therefore find that the Landlord is entitled to recover $500 for cleaning expenses, which I consider to be a reasonable estimate of the cost of returning the premises to a satisfactory condition. Carpet cleaning
The Landlord paid $220 to Carpet Maintenance & Cleaning Co Ltd to have the carpet deodorised and steam cleaned to remove the strong dog odour and stains. It is entitled to recover that cost.
The Landlord also sought to recover the $115 cost of a flea treatment. The Landlord has not proven that there were fleas in the premises or that the treatment was otherwise required. The Tenant therefore has no liability for that cost. Removal of rubbish and abandoned belongingsl
The Landlord paid $1,037 to River City Builders to remove five trailer loads of rubbish and abandoned belongings from the premises. Given the volumes of rubbish and abandoned belongings, I consider that to be a reasonable charge. I order that the Tenant is to pay that amount to the Landlord. Lock and key replacement
The Landlord paid $222 to McCarthy’s Locksmiths to replace the lock to the house and to cut new house keys, and $85 to River City Builders to replace the garage door lock and keys. These costs were reasonably incurred because of the Tenant’s failure to return all keys, and the Landlord is entitled to recover those amounts from the Tenant. Filings fees
The Landlord seeks to recover the $28 filing fee for this application. It is entitled to that amount as it has been substantially successful in this claim.
The Landlord also seeks to recover the filing fee it paid for two earlier Tenancy Tribunal applications. I understand that the Tribunal has already made orders in each of those cases that the Tenant is to pay the filing fee. I therefore decline to make the same order again as any further order would be duplicative. Name suppression
The Landlord has been successful in its application, so I order suppression of its name and all identifying details.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5349501 — net $3,475.77 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$3,263.77	Rent arrears
Cleaning	$500.00	Cleaning
Carpet Cleaning	$220.00	Carpet Cleaning
Rubbish removal	$1,037.00	Rubbish removal
Lock/key replacement	$307.00	Lock/key replacement
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$3,475.77
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$3,475.77

Order

The Landlord’s name and identifying details are suppressed.
The Bond Centre is to release the bond [3060655-14] to the Landlord immediately.
must pay immediately, calculated as shown in table below:

Reasons

This tenancy ended on 28 October 2025. The Landlord says that the Tenant owes significant rent arrears, did not leave the premises in a reasonably clean and tidy state, did not remove all her belongings and did not return all keys provided to her at the start of the tenancy.
The Landlord now seeks to recover the unpaid rent, cleaning and rubbish removal costs, the cost of replacing locks and keys and the filing fee for this claim and two earlier claims.
The Tenant did not attend the hearing. Details of the hearing were sent to her in the Notice of Hearing. I also called her at the start of the hearing. She did not answer. The issues
The issues I must determine in this case are: (a)Does the Tenant owe rent? (b)Did the Tenant leave the premises in a reasonably clean and reasonably tidy condition and remove all rubbish? (c)Did the Tenant return all keys? (d)What remedy are the Landlords entitled to?

Does the Tenant owe rent?

The Landlord has provided a rent summary dated 15 January 2026, which shows rent arrears of $3,263.77. I accept that rent summary as an accurate record of the rent payments throughout the Tenancy, and I am satisfied that the Tenant owes that amount as rent arrears. Did the Tenant leave the premises in a reasonably clean and tidy condition and remove all rubbish?
At the end of the tenancy, the Tenant was required to leave the premises in a reasonably clean and reasonably tidy condition and remove or arrange for the removal of all rubbish. 1 She did not. The condition of the premises at the start of the tenancy
The Landlord has provided photographs of the premises at the start of the tenancy. Those photographs show that the premises were clean and tidy and that the carpet in the living area was unstained. 1 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, s 40(1)(e)(iii). The condition of the premises at the end of the tenancy
The Landlord has provided photographs of the premises taken on 29 October 2025, one day after the tenancy ended. Those photographs show that, although the Tenant had generally kept the premises in a reasonable state throughout the tenancy (in that there was no evidence of serious neglect of the premises or significant damage), the Tenant did not adequately clean the premises on her departure.
The Landlord’s photographs show that the premises were not left reasonably clean and reasonably tidy because: (a)Various surfaces, including vinyl floors, benchtops, walls, windowsills, sinks and vanity units were dirty and dusty and required cleaning. (b)The carpet had not been vacuumed and was visually dirty. (c)The kitchen, including the oven and sink, had not been adequately cleaned. (d)The shower was dirty and mouldy. (e)The front door and ranch slider were marked with a market pen and required cleaning. (f)The carpet in the living area was stained, consistent with pot plants being left on the carpet.
The Landlord also says that the carpet had to be deodorised. The Tenant kept a dog at the premises (without the Landlord’s consent), and the premises smelled musty as a result. The Landlord has since had the property cleaned and the carpet steam cleaned and deodorised and seeks to recover those costs.
The Landlord has also proven that the Tenant did not remove all rubbish and abandoned belongings from the premises at the end of the tenancy. The Landlord’s photographs show that the Tenant left behind a substantial amount of rubbish and abandoned belongings in the garage. The Landlord contacted the Tenant to have those items removed, but the Tenant did not respond, so the Landlord arranged for the items to be removed and seeks to recover that cost. Lock and key replacement
The Tenant was required to return to the Landlords all keys provided by the Landlords for the use of the Tenant. 2 The Tenant did not return all the keys as required and the Landlord has since paid to replace the front door and garage door locks and keys.

What remedy is the Landlord entitled to?

Rent arrears 2 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, s 40(1)(e)(iv).

The Landlord is entitled to recover the full rent arrears of $3,263.77. The Tenant was obliged to pay that amount and has not. Cleaning
The Landlord paid $700 to Jay’s Clean n Fresh Ltd to clean the premises at the end of the tenancy. Although the premises were not as reasonably clean and tidy as they should have been, I am not satisfied that all the cleaning performed was required. For example, the evidence provided by the Landlord did not demonstrate that all floors were dirty, or that all the carpet required vacuuming or that the net curtains required replacement. I therefore find that the Landlord is entitled to recover $500 for cleaning expenses, which I consider to be a reasonable estimate of the cost of returning the premises to a satisfactory condition. Carpet cleaning
The Landlord paid $220 to Carpet Maintenance & Cleaning Co Ltd to have the carpet deodorised and steam cleaned to remove the strong dog odour and stains. It is entitled to recover that cost.
The Landlord also sought to recover the $115 cost of a flea treatment. The Landlord has not proven that there were fleas in the premises or that the treatment was otherwise required. The Tenant therefore has no liability for that cost. Removal of rubbish and abandoned belongingsl
The Landlord paid $1,037 to River City Builders to remove five trailer loads of rubbish and abandoned belongings from the premises. Given the volumes of rubbish and abandoned belongings, I consider that to be a reasonable charge. I order that the Tenant is to pay that amount to the Landlord. Lock and key replacement
The Landlord paid $222 to McCarthy’s Locksmiths to replace the lock to the house and to cut new house keys, and $85 to River City Builders to replace the garage door lock and keys. These costs were reasonably incurred because of the Tenant’s failure to return all keys, and the Landlord is entitled to recover those amounts from the Tenant. Filings fees
The Landlord seeks to recover the $28 filing fee for this application. It is entitled to that amount as it has been substantially successful in this claim.
The Landlord also seeks to recover the filing fee it paid for two earlier Tenancy Tribunal applications. I understand that the Tribunal has already made orders in each of those cases that the Tenant is to pay the filing fee. I therefore decline to make the same order again as any further order would be duplicative. Name suppression
The Landlord has been successful in its application, so I order suppression of its name and all identifying details.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5349501 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5349501 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Does the Tenant owe rent?

What remedy is the Landlord entitled to?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Does the Tenant owe rent?

What remedy is the Landlord entitled to?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions