Published tribunal order
Tenancy Tribunal case 5352662 — Property damage at 45 Cabaret Way, Botany Downs, Auckland 2010
Decided 21 Nov 2025 · Published 21 Nov 2025 · Application 5352662
- Property damage
- Cleanliness
Order
- [The party], [The party] and [The party] must pay Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities $824.50 immediately, calculated as shown in table below. DescriptionLandlord Cleaning$104.26 Oven/stove cleaning$165.86 Laundry Tub replacement$564.75 Gardening and rubbish removal$89.63 Subtotal. Less two payments of $50.00 by the tenant Total payable by Tenant to Landlord $924.50 -$100.00 $824.50
Reasons
- The tenants were represented at the hearing by [The party].
- The landlord has applied for compensation following the end of the tenancy.
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.
- There was some cleaning required at the end of the tenancy. Some gardening and rubbish removal was also required.
- The laundry tub door was removed. The landlord replaced the laundry tub.
- The tenant stated that she believed the landlord should have contacted her to return the tub door before making the purchase of a new laundry tub.
- A landlord would not normally assume that a tenant would take a laundry tub door when exiting a property. I accept that it may not have crossed the landlord’s mind that the tenants had taken the laundry tub door with them when they vacated the premises. It is understandable why the landlord did not contact the tenants to enquire if they had the laundry tub door. On the other hand, if the tenants had the door, they could have contacted the landlord and advised of that.
- It was the tenants’ responsibility to leave the door at the property if the tenants had the door. The landlord attempted to mitigate the loss by trying to purchase a replacement door. A replacement door could not be sourced and so a replacement tub had to be installed.
- The amounts claimed have been proved.