Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5387561 — Rent arrears at 6 Worcester Street, West End, Palmerston North 4410
Published 9 January 2026 · Application 5387561
- Rent arrears
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Palmerston North
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
H Ben Fayed
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $7,395.14
- Bond payment as ordered
- −$1,840.00
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $5,555.14
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent arrears to 11/01/2026 | $7,367.14 | Rent arrears to 11/01/2026 | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Net award | $5,555.14 | ||
| Total payable by Tenant to Landlord | $5,555.14 |
Claims and awards for application 5387561 — net $5,555.14 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Rent arrears to 11/01/2026
- Amount
- $7,367.14
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rent arrears to 11/01/2026
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Net award
Landlord $5,555.14
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord
Landlord $5,555.14
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- The tenancy of Francine Dentice at 6 Worcester Street, West End, Palmerston North 4410 is terminated, and possession is granted to Ella Northover, at 11:59pm on Sunday 11 January 2026.
- The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,840.00 (6272196-015) to Ella Northover immediately.
- Francine Dentice must pay Ella Northover $5,555.14 immediately, calculated as shown in the table below:
Reasons
- Both parties attended the hearing.
- The landlord has applied for termination of the tenancy, rent arrears and refund of the bond.
- Rent was at least 21 days in arrears on the date the application was filed. The tenancy is terminated. See section 55(1)(a) Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
- The respondent had applied for an adjournment however the adjournment request was not responded to as it was received during the holidays and today is the first hearing day since Christmas.
- One of the grounds given for the adjournment was so that the respondent could attend lawn bowls. This request would have been declined.
- Another ground given by the respondent was that they needed time to make a cross application. The original application was made on the 11 th of November 2025. There was nothing stopping the respondent from making an application at any point since that time or prior to that point. This order also does not stop the respondent from making an application on the matters she indicated she wanted to raise during today’s hearing which were not appropriate to hear or respond to given no application has been made.
- The respondent disputed the rent arrears on the grounds that her own calculation showed she owed $2640.00 and the applicants rent summary reflects an amount owing of $7230.00. The respondent accepted she had not made any payments towards rent for the last 7 weeks. Just these missed payments would amount to $3360.00. This tells me that the respondents claim is not credible.
- The respondent states that on 24 July the applicant provided her with a support letter for Work and Income New Zealand recording rent arrears of $1,360.00, which amount was subsequently paid by WINZ. However, the actual arrears at that time were $1,870.00, leaving a shortfall of $510.00. The applicant accepts that this error occurred. I accept that the error was an honest mistake and do not consider it appropriate to impose any penalty on the applicant. Had this been the sole issue for determination, a payment plan or monetary order may have been appropriate. However, in light of the respondent’s ongoing non-compliance with rent payment obligations, and the fact that she had approximately six months in which to rectify the arrears but did not do so, such considerations are no longer relevant.
- The landlord provided rent records which show the amount owing to the 9 th of January 2026. I have added two days rent to reflect the amount owing to the end of the tenancy.
- Because Ella Northover has wholly succeeded with the claim I have reimbursed the filing fee.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s55(1)
Key findings
- Dispute theme: rent arrears
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5387561?
The tribunal order states: The tenancy of Francine Dentice at 6 Worcester Street, West End, Palmerston
How much money was awarded in case 5387561?
Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $7,367.14 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5387561?
The primary dispute was Rent arrears.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5387561?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12948551-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.