Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5403823 — Property damage at 54 Church Street, Awapuni, Palmerston North 4412
Published 30 March 2026 · Application 5403823
- Property damage
- Cleanliness
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Palmerston North
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
B King
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $1,091.75
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $1,091.75
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $400.00 | Cleaning | |
| Repairs (weatherboards | $235.75 | Repairs (weatherboards | |
| Lock/key replacement | $428.00 | Lock/key replacement | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Net award | $1,091.75 | ||
| Total payable by Tenant to Landlord | $1,091.75 |
Claims and awards for application 5403823 — net $1,091.75 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Cleaning
- Amount
- $400.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Cleaning
Repairs (weatherboards
- Amount
- $235.75
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Repairs (weatherboards
Lock/key replacement
- Amount
- $428.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Lock/key replacement
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Net award
Landlord $1,091.75
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord
Landlord $1,091.75
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- Lyric Wairere Parrish’s Anne-Marie Clarke, Santos Fernandez Wiremu Harris and Maea Wiremu Himiona-Kawana must pay Property Brokers Manawatu Limited as Agent for Shirley Groucott Barkhuizen $1,091.75 from their bond, calculated below.
- The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,160.00 (6376186-005) immediately apportioned as follows: Property Brokers Manawatu Limited as Agent for Shirley Groucott Barkhuizen: $1,091.75 Lyric Wairere Parrish’s Anne-Marie Clarke, Santos Fernandez Wiremu Harris and Maea Wiremu Himiona-Kawana: $1,068.25
Reasons
- The landlord attended the hearing which was held by videoconference. The tenants did not attend. Two calls were made to the phone numbers given in the Notice of Hearing for each of the tenants. All calls went to answerphone
- The landlord has applied for compensation from the bond and reimbursement of the filing fee 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 tenants 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.
- Exit inspection photographs provided by the landlord show that in some respects the tenants did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and rubbish was left.
- The tenants did not return the keys.
- The amounts claimed are proved by the invoices provided.
- The tenants’ responsibility is to leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, not to leave it turnkey ready for the next occupancy. The amount ordered is less than the amount of the cleaning invoice paid by the landlord, for that reason.
Is the tenant responsible for the damage to the premises?
- A landlord must prove that damage to the premises occurred during the tenancy and is more than fair wear and tear. If this is established, to avoid liability, the tenant must prove they did not carelessly or intentionally cause or permit the damage. Tenants are liable for the actions of people at the premises with their permission. See sections 40(2)(a), 41 and 49B RTA.
- A comparison of the entry and inspection photographs shows that during the tenant same damage was caused to exterior cladding. The property manager’s evidence is that the tenants acknowledged having backed into the house, causing the damage.
- The repair cost paid by the landlord is proved by the invoice provided.
- Because Property Brokers Manawatu Limited as Agent for Shirley Groucott Barkhuizen has succeeded with the claim, I must reimburse the filing fee.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s40(1), s40(2)
Key findings
- Dispute theme: cleaning
- Dispute theme: property damage
Property management
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5403823?
The tribunal order states: Lyric Wairere Parrish’s Anne-Marie Clarke, Santos Fernandez Wiremu Harris
How much money was awarded in case 5403823?
Cleaning: $400.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $235.75 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $428.00 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5403823?
The primary dispute was Property damage. Related themes: Cleanliness.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5403823?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13371394-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.