Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5421118 — Cleanliness at Unit/Flat 25, 26 Dover Street, St Albans, Christchurch 8014,
Decided 9 Apr 2026 · Published 9 Apr 2026 · Application 5421118
- Cleanliness
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Location
Christchurch
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
N Bradley
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $1,249.88
- Bond payment as ordered
- −$352.00
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $897.88
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubbish removal | $862.50 | Rubbish removal | |
| Rubbish removal | $71.88 | Rubbish removal | |
| Cleaning | $57.50 | Cleaning | |
| Cleaning | $230.00 | Cleaning | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 |
Order
- [The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay Otautahi Community Housing Trust $897.88 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.
- The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $352.00 (5793723-005) to Otautahi Community Housing Trust immediately.
Reasons
- The landlord attended the hearing by phone.
- The tenant did not connect to the remote hearing. The tenant was telephoned on the phone number provided but the phone call went unanswered. I am satisfied the tenant was properly served with notice of the hearing. The hearing proceeded in their absence.
- The landlord has applied for compensation, payment of the bond, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy. Relevant legal considerations
- The relevant law that applies is found in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA).
- With any claim before the Tenancy Tribunal, the Tribunal applies the usual civil law standards and expectations. That includes a requirement that the applicant establish their claims on the balance of probabilities. The balance of probabilities means more likely than un-likely, or in mathematical terms, has a fractionally more than 50% likelihood. The Tribunal does not need to be certain or very sure about any claim, only that what is claimed is likely. This obligation carried by the applicant is referred to as the “burden of proof”. Independent witnesses, corroborating documents and photographs are an important part of discharging this burden.
- In deciding any particular claim, I must consider all the evidence presented (including oral evidence during the hearing). I must weigh this evidence to decide what is more likely. The Law – tenant’s obligations at the end of the tenancy
- At the end of the tenancy the tenant must remove all his or her goods from the premises, leave the premises (including the land provided with the premises) reasonably clean and tidy, remove all rubbish, return all keys and security devices and leave all chattels provided for their benefit. 1 Cleaning and rubbish removal
- The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The landlord provided oral evidence, post-tenancy photographs and invoices in support of the claim for rubbish removal and cleaning. The amounts ordered are: a) Interior rubbish removal - $862.50 b) Exterior rubbish removal - $71.88 c) Cleaning of kitchen cupboards - $57.50 d) General clean - $230 Bond 1 See section 40(1)(e) of the RTA.
- The bond is to be paid to the landlord immediately to offset the amount’s ordered. Filing Fee
- Because the applicant has been wholly or partly successful in their claim, I have ordered that the respondent pay the applicant the application filing fee. 2 Suppression
- On my enquiry the landlord did not seek name suppression.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s102, s4, s40(1)
Key findings
- Dispute theme: cleaning
Property management
- OTAUTAHI COMMUNITY HOUSING TRUST (applicant)
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5421118 about?
The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] tenant/s] must pay Otautahi Community Housing
How much money was awarded in case 5421118?
Cleaning: $57.50 awarded to landlord; Cleaning: $230.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $862.50 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $71.88 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5421118?
The primary dispute was Cleanliness.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5421118?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13417069-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.
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