Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5366381 — Cleanliness at 123 Mahia Road, Wattle Downs, Auckland 2103
Decided 22 January 2026 · Published 22 January 2026 · Application 5366381
- Cleanliness
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Auckland
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
C Price
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $3,208.06
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $3,208.06
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $448.06 | Cleaning | |
| Lawns and Garden work | $260.00 | Lawns and Garden work | |
| Rubbish removal | $2,500.00 | Rubbish removal | |
| Net award | $3,208.06 | ||
| Total payable by Tenant to Landlord | $3,208.06 |
Claims and awards for application 5366381 — net $3,208.06 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Cleaning
- Amount
- $448.06
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Cleaning
Lawns and Garden work
- Amount
- $260.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Lawns and Garden work
Rubbish removal
- Amount
- $2,500.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rubbish removal
Net award
Landlord $3,208.06
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord
Landlord $3,208.06
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- Rosemarie Peihopa must pay Kāinga Ora–Homes And Communities $3,208.06 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.
Reasons
- Ms Perese, representing the landlord, attended the teleconference hearing. Three phone numbers for the tenant, the last three digits being 607, 480 and 700 respectively, were all called without any response. As the tenant was served, the hearing proceeded in her absence.
- The landlord has applied for compensation following the end of the tenancy. The landlord said the tenancy ended on 4 August 2025.
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 landlord said the tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, and did not remove all rubbish. The landlord provided a Final Inspection Report dated 8 August 2025 with multiple photographs showing the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy. Cleaning
- The landlord claimed $448.06 for cleaning, which they said is the standard cleaning fee for a 3-5 bedroom house, and this house was a 3-bedroom house.
- The landlord pointed to many photographs in the Final Inspection Report that showed a dirty stove, dirty kitchen floor, many dirty kitchen cupboards and drawers, dirty carpets throughout the house, dirty bathtub and bathroom cabinet, dirty bathroom floor, dirty laundry floor, tub and ceiling and many other areas of the property that needed cleaning. Given the photographs provided, I find the landlord’s claim to be reasonable and so award the landlord $448.06 for cleaning at the end of the tenancy. Rubbish removal
- The landlord claimed $4,302.00 for rubbish removal at the end of the tenancy. The landlord highlighted photographs in their Final Inspection Report that showed a fridge, washing machine, old couch, some chairs, chest of drawers, rubbish bags and rubbish bin, several boxes, some old wood, an old TV and other rubbish items left on the deck or in the shed or carport.
- The landlord said there was 24 cubic metres of rubbish collected and they have a fixed charge of $164.21 per cubic metre of rubbish removed (GST inclusive). This total comes to $3,941.04, which is less than the amount claimed by the landlord. The landlord was unsure why these amounts differed.
- In any event, given the photographs provided and based on the evidence provided, despite there being several larger items of rubbish removed, I still find the landlord’s claim to be excessive given the amount of rubbish removed. I find a more reasonable amount for the cost of rubbish removal, given the evidence provided, to be $2,500.00. Therefore, I award the landlord $2,500.00 for rubbish removal. Garden work
- The landlord claimed $260.00 for mowing the lawns, weeding and removing garden waste at the end of the tenancy and pointed to photographs in their Final Inspection Report showing lawns that needed mowing, some weeding required and a large bag of garden waste left. As such, I find the amount of the claim reasonable and award the landlord $260.00 for mowing the lawns, weeding and removing the garden waste.
- The amounts ordered are proved.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s24, s40(1)
Key findings
- Dispute theme: cleaning
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5366381?
The tribunal order states: Rosemarie Peihopa must pay Kāinga Ora–Homes And Communities $3,208.06
How much money was awarded in case 5366381?
Cleaning: $448.06 awarded to landlord; Lawns and Garden Work: $260.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $2,500.00 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5366381?
The primary dispute was Cleanliness.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5366381?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13010903-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.