What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5354221 about?

The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay East Coast Realty Ltd T/A Harcourts

How much money was awarded in case 5354221?

Cleaning: $390.20 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Lightbulbs: $160.21 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $169.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $22.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $1,500.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $1,670.57 awarded to landlord; Time To Deal With And Remove Stolen…: $230.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5354221?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5354221?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12895069-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5354221 about?

The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay East Coast Realty Ltd T/A Harcourts

How much money was awarded in case 5354221?

Cleaning: $390.20 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Lightbulbs: $160.21 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $169.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $22.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $1,500.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $1,670.57 awarded to landlord; Time To Deal With And Remove Stolen…: $230.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5354221?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5354221?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12895069-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

9 Kowhai Street, Te Hapara, Gisborne 4010 Tenancy Tribunal Case 5354221 — Rent arrears

Tenantcheck Insights

Reasons

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5354221 — net $4,169.98 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 7.8.2025	$1,500.00	Rent arrears to 7.8.2025
Cleaning, gardening, rubbish removal	$1,670.57	Cleaning, gardening, rubbish removal
Carpet Cleaning	$390.20	Carpet Cleaning
Back sliding door lock replacement	$169.00	Back sliding door lock replacement
Security doors keys replacements	$22.00	Security doors keys replacements
Light bulbs/heat lamp replacements	$160.21	Light bulbs/heat lamp replacements
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Time to deal with and remove stolen vehicle at property	$230.00	Time to deal with and remove stolen vehicle at property
Net award	$4,169.98
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$4,169.98

Mr Third and Ms Reeves, representing the landlord, attended the hearing in person. The tenant did not attend the hearing. As the tenant was served, the hearing proceeded in her absence.

The landlord has applied for rent arrears, compensation and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.

The landlord said the tenancy ended on 7 August 2025.

How much is owed for rent?

The landlord provided rent records which prove the amount owing at the end of the tenancy, up to 7 August 2025, which is $1,500.00. This is the amount of rent arrears owing after the bond of $1,800.00 was applied to rent arrears.

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. The tenant is required to replace worn out smoke alarm batteries during the tenancy. See section 40(1)(ca) Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The tenant must also replace standard light bulbs. Cleaning, rubbish removal and lawns/garden work

The landlord said the tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish.

The landlord provided copies of an Ingoing Inspection Report dated 3 November 2022 as well as an Outgoing Inspection Report dated 8 August 2025. The landlord also provided separate photographs taken several days after the final inspection, as well as invoices for their claims.

The landlord pointed to the photographs in the Final Inspection Report showing the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy.

There were a number of photographs in the Final Inspection Report showing marks on walls throughout the property, very dirty windowsills and windows that needed cleaning, light switches and power points that had black marks from fingers on them, dirty curtains in most rooms that needed to be washed and rehung, dirty shower glass and the shower track full of hair and dirt, dirty floors and cupboards, the laundry sink and cupboard that needed cleaning, the fireplace left full of ash and with a dirty glass door, kitchen cupboards that needed cleaning.

The landlord claimed $583.62, GST inclusive for 14.5 hours of cleaning @ $35.00/hour plus GST. The cleaning jobs were detailed and the hours for each job were provided in the invoice. Given the evidence of the cleaning required, I find this to be a reasonable amount for cleaning and so award the landlord $583.62 for cleaning.

The landlord highlighted photographs in the Final Inspection Report that showed significant rubbish that was left at the property at the end of the tenancy. This included boxes with items, wooden pallets (some of which were subsequently removed by others when left at the property), food in boxes, fruit left in a bag outside, hammer, power cords, tyre rim, footballs, rugs, full rubbish bags, pot plants, a makeshift bong bottle and plastic bags and much other rubbish. The landlord claimed it took 4 hours @ $40.00/hour plus GST for labour to remove the rubbish, coming to $184.00, plus $258.95 (GST inclusive) in fees to dump the rubbish, green waste and use disposable health and safety products to deal with rubbish that was likely hazardous.

The landlord also provided photographs of the lawns and gardens around the property, showing them to be very overgrown and untended. The landlord claimed it took 14 hours to mow the lawns, trim the edges and weed the gardens @ $40.00/hour plus GST, coming to $644.00. This included reinstating the condition of the lawns after a stolen vehicle, which left deep tyre tracks on the lawns, was removed at the end of the tenancy.

Given the photographs and other evidence provided by the landlord about the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy, and accounting for the landlord indicating that some food left outside and some wooden pallets left outside were subsequently removed by others several days after the tenancy ended, as they were left outside, I find the amounts claimed for cleaning, rubbish removal and lawns and garden work to be reasonable. As such I award the landlord a total of $1,670.57, their amended claim at the hearing, for cleaning, rubbish removal and garden work required at the end of the tenancy. Back sliding door lock and security doors keys

The landlord said the tenant was provided with 4 keys at the start of the tenancy and provided Ingoing Inspection photographs confirming this. This included keys to the front and back security doors (flyscreen doors), the front door and the back sliding door.

The landlord explained that the tenant texted them on 13 August 2025, several days after the tenancy ended, to say she had left 1 key at the property. The tenant did not return any other keys.

The landlord said that, when they attended the property for the final inspection, the back sliding door was locked but when they returned to the property a few days later, the back sliding door was unlocked, a concertina door inside the property had changed position and some food had been removed from the food rubbish left on the deck outside. The landlord said there were no signs of a forced entry to the property upon their return and so it was likely that either the tenant had used the back sliding door key she did not return to the landlord to get back into the property, or had given it to somebody else to get into the property. Either way, the landlord said the back sliding door lock had to then be replaced to secure the property, and said the tenant was responsible for this cost.

The landlord provided an invoice in the amount of $169.00 for replacing the back sliding door lock and an invoice for $22.00 to get new keys cut for the security doors for the front and back door. I find these lock and key replacement costs to be reasonable given the circumstances and the evidence provided in support of this claim. Thus, I award the landlord $169.00 to replace the back sliding door lock and $22.00 for replacement keys for both security doors. Light bulbs and heat lamp

The landlord said there were 6 missing light bulbs and a broken heat lamp that was not working at the end of the tenancy. The landlord provided an invoice for the purchase of these light bulbs and a heat lamp and for installation, in the amount of $160.21. I find this amount to be reasonable given the evidence provided by way of photographs confirming the missing light bulbs and broken heat lamp, and so award the landlord $160.21 to replace all the missing light bulbs and broken heat lamp. Stolen vehicle

The landlord said that, during the tenancy, a blue truck had been sighted on the property on several occasions by the property manager in routine inspections and they had assumed this blue truck belonged to the tenant. At the end of the tenancy, they said they communicated with the tenant about removing this blue truck, which was left at the property after the tenancy ended, but did not get anywhere with the tenant about this. Eventually, after ascertaining how to go about this, the landlord obtained the VIN of the truck and searched online to discover that it was a stolen vehicle, after which time the police were involved and eventually the stolen truck was removed from the property.

The landlord said it took them many hours of work dealing with the stolen truck, as the police would not act until the landlord had proven the truck was stolen, then the landlord had to liaise with the police and others about its removal, and well as with the owner. The property manager said this was above and beyond their usual duties and so they provided an invoice for $200.00 plus GST, coming to $230.00, which they said was a nominal amount, not reflecting the large number of hours they had spent on this matter, for their time in dealing with the stolen vehicle, due to the tenant’s actions.

In the circumstances and given the evidence, I find the property manager’s claim for $230.00 to be more than reasonable for all the time taken by them in having to sort out and have the stolen vehicle removed that the tenant, or somebody she had permitted at the property, had left there. As such, I award the landlord $230.00 for the time taken by the property manager to deal with and remove the stolen vehicle at the end of the tenancy.

The amounts ordered are proved. Filing fee

Because East Coast Realty Ltd T/A Harcourts Gisborne As The Agent For Flora & Robert Wells has been successful with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee.

Reasons

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5354221 — net $4,169.98 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 7.8.2025	$1,500.00	Rent arrears to 7.8.2025
Cleaning, gardening, rubbish removal	$1,670.57	Cleaning, gardening, rubbish removal
Carpet Cleaning	$390.20	Carpet Cleaning
Back sliding door lock replacement	$169.00	Back sliding door lock replacement
Security doors keys replacements	$22.00	Security doors keys replacements
Light bulbs/heat lamp replacements	$160.21	Light bulbs/heat lamp replacements
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Time to deal with and remove stolen vehicle at property	$230.00	Time to deal with and remove stolen vehicle at property
Net award	$4,169.98
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$4,169.98

Mr Third and Ms Reeves, representing the landlord, attended the hearing in person. The tenant did not attend the hearing. As the tenant was served, the hearing proceeded in her absence.

The landlord has applied for rent arrears, compensation and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.

The landlord said the tenancy ended on 7 August 2025.

How much is owed for rent?

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

The landlord said the tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish.

The landlord pointed to the photographs in the Final Inspection Report showing the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy.

The landlord explained that the tenant texted them on 13 August 2025, several days after the tenancy ended, to say she had left 1 key at the property. The tenant did not return any other keys.

The amounts ordered are proved. Filing fee

Because East Coast Realty Ltd T/A Harcourts Gisborne As The Agent For Flora & Robert Wells has been successful with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5354221 — Rent arrears at 9 Kowhai Street, Te Hapara, Gisborne 4010

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5354221 — Rent arrears at 9 Kowhai Street, Te Hapara, Gisborne 4010

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

How much is owed for rent?

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Property management

Frequently asked questions

Reduce avoidable tribunal risk with proper tenant checks.

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

How much is owed for rent?

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Property management

Frequently asked questions

Reduce avoidable tribunal risk with proper tenant checks.