What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5482889 about?

The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,778.19 immediately, calculated

How much money was awarded in case 5482889?

Compensation: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $345.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $76.98 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $240.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $579.32 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $55.89 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $1,880.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $153.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5482889?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5482889?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13849352-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5482889 about?

The tribunal order states: [The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,778.19 immediately, calculated

How much money was awarded in case 5482889?

Compensation: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $345.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $76.98 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $240.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $579.32 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $55.89 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $1,880.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $153.00 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5482889?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5482889?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13849352-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

84 Herbert Street, Masterton, Masterton 5810 Tenancy Tribunal Case 5482889 — Rent arrears

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5482889 — net $1,778.19 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$1,880.00	Rent arrears
Weatherboard repair	$345.00	Weatherboard repair
Skylight repair	$76.98	Skylight repair
Rangehood replacement	$240.00	Rangehood replacement
Window repairs	$579.32	Window repairs
Carpet compensation	$300.00	Carpet compensation
Lightshade replacement	$55.89	Lightshade replacement
Rubbish removal	$153.00	Rubbish removal
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,778.19
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,778.19

Order

[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,778.19 immediately, calculated as shown in table below:
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,880.00 (3138725-004) to [The landlord/s] immediately. DescriptionLandlord Rent arrears$1,880.00 Weatherboard repair$345.00 Skylight repair$76.98 Rangehood replacement$240.00 Window repairs$579.32 Carpet compensation$300.00 Lightshade replacement$55.89 Rubbish removal$153.00 Filing fee reimbursement$28.00 Total award$3,658.19 Minus bond$1,880.00 Total payable by Tenant to Landlord$1,778.19

Reasons

The Tribunal must consider an application filed by the landlord against the tenant. The tenancy has ended, the landlord now seeks various orders around rent arrears and compensation.
Only the landlord appeared at the hearing. I am satisfied that the tenant has been properly notified of the hearing, and therefore I will proceed to consider the claim in her absence.

BACKGROUND

The tenancy agreement has been provided, which records the co-tenants as Shannon Fifield and Ryan Knight, although the claim is only against Ms Fifield.
The tenancy ended following notice of the tenant, with the landlord receiving possession back on 10 February 2026.

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 party bringing the claim (the applicant), establish their claims “on the balance of probabilities”. The balance of probabilities means more likely than unlikely, 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.
It is the applicant that must prove their case. As noted by the District Court in Kaipo v Clarke & McCarthy (DC) TT233/02, in practical terms this means that: ... [L]ike anyone who brings an application before a Tribunal or Court, it is incumbent upon the applicant to provide the evidence necessary to prove the case. If the applicant fails to do that, then their application will be dismissed whether it has merit or not because it is up to the applicant to provide the necessary evidence. It is not up to the other parties, and it is certainly not up to the Tribunal to extract evidence.

ANALYSIS

The landlord confirmed that his claims are those set out in the application to the Tribunal. Claim 1 – Rent arrears
The landlord has applied for an order that the tenant pay rent arrears of $1,880.00 at the end of the tenancy.
The landlord has provided the Tribunal with a rent ledger. I have no reason to consider that record to be incorrect.
The landlord has established that the tenant is in arrears of the amount claimed, and that is ordered in full. Claim 2 - Damage
The landlord has claimed a range of damage at the end of the tenancy.
With any compensation claim, to receive an order the party must incur a loss. In short, the compensation is intended as best money can do, to compensate for the actual loss incurred.
Where a landlord claims compensation for damage caused by a tenant, the landlord must first prove the damage is more than fair wear and tear, and that it occurred during the tenancy. 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.
Where the damage is caused carelessly, the tenant's liability is limited to the lesser of the insurance excess or four weeks' rent.
Tenants are liable for the cost of repairing damage that is intentional or which results from any activity at the premises that is an imprisonable offence. This applies to anything the tenant does and anything done by a person they are responsible for.
Damage is intentional where a person intends to cause damage and takes the necessary steps to achieve that purpose. Damage is also intentional when a person does something, or allows a situation to continue, knowing that damage is a certainty. See the High Court decision of Guo v Korck [2019] NZHC 1541.
In this case, the landlord claims the following compensation: a. Garage weatherboards – the landlord states that the weatherboards on the garage were damaged; the tenant said it was hit by a car. The photographs show a hole in the garage wall. The cost from the builder’s was $345.00 for the repair. b. Broken clearlight in the toilet – the landlord states that some of the skylight was missing in particular the clearlight plastic. The landlord claims the replacement cost of $76.98. c. Rangehood – the landlord states the rangehood had plastic oil collection bowls that were missing at the end of the tenancy. They could not be replaced so the entire unit needed replacement at a cost of $481.00. The landlord said the original unit was some 15 years old. The landlord accepts that depreciation is required, and claims $240.00. d. Broken window – The landlord states that a window was broken at the end of the tenancy. The window was double-glazed. The replacement cost was $579.32. e. Carpet – The landlord states that in one room a large square had been cut out of the carpet, and in other rooms there are carpet stains. Again this is supported by the photographs. The landlord has claimed $700.00. However taking into account the age of the carpet, I consider a fair level of compensation for this would be $300.00. I consider that would likely be representative of what a carpet repair cost and commercial cleaning would cost the landlord. f. Replacement lightshades – the landlord states that three light shades were missing at the end of the tenancy, the replacement costs being $55.89.
I am satisfied on the basis of the evidence available, that the above items have been damaged during the tenancy, and are beyond fair wear and tear. That means, it is then for the tenant to prove that the damage is not careless or intentional damage, and I find she has not done that. I am satisfied that the tenant is liable for the amounts claimed.
In terms of the amount of the respective orders, those are also established, although I note that the claims for the rangehood and carpet must be depreciated.
These claims are established and ordered. Claim 3 – Disposal of goods
At the end of the tenancy the tenant left a range of rubbish and goods on the premises. Photographs have been provided of those. I am satisfied that those items do not have any reasonable sales value, and therefore order that the landlord dispose of those goods as the landlord sees fit.
In reality, the majority if not all of the goods would require dumping, the landlord has claimed $153.00 for that work, that is ordered in full.

FILING FEE

Because the applicant has been wholly successful in their application, I must award the filing fee to commence the proceeding in the Tribunal.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5482889 — net $1,778.19 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears	$1,880.00	Rent arrears
Weatherboard repair	$345.00	Weatherboard repair
Skylight repair	$76.98	Skylight repair
Rangehood replacement	$240.00	Rangehood replacement
Window repairs	$579.32	Window repairs
Carpet compensation	$300.00	Carpet compensation
Lightshade replacement	$55.89	Lightshade replacement
Rubbish removal	$153.00	Rubbish removal
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,778.19
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,778.19

Order

[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,778.19 immediately, calculated as shown in table below:
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,880.00 (3138725-004) to [The landlord/s] immediately. DescriptionLandlord Rent arrears$1,880.00 Weatherboard repair$345.00 Skylight repair$76.98 Rangehood replacement$240.00 Window repairs$579.32 Carpet compensation$300.00 Lightshade replacement$55.89 Rubbish removal$153.00 Filing fee reimbursement$28.00 Total award$3,658.19 Minus bond$1,880.00 Total payable by Tenant to Landlord$1,778.19

Reasons

The Tribunal must consider an application filed by the landlord against the tenant. The tenancy has ended, the landlord now seeks various orders around rent arrears and compensation.
Only the landlord appeared at the hearing. I am satisfied that the tenant has been properly notified of the hearing, and therefore I will proceed to consider the claim in her absence.

BACKGROUND

The tenancy agreement has been provided, which records the co-tenants as Shannon Fifield and Ryan Knight, although the claim is only against Ms Fifield.
The tenancy ended following notice of the tenant, with the landlord receiving possession back on 10 February 2026.

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 party bringing the claim (the applicant), establish their claims “on the balance of probabilities”. The balance of probabilities means more likely than unlikely, 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.
It is the applicant that must prove their case. As noted by the District Court in Kaipo v Clarke & McCarthy (DC) TT233/02, in practical terms this means that: ... [L]ike anyone who brings an application before a Tribunal or Court, it is incumbent upon the applicant to provide the evidence necessary to prove the case. If the applicant fails to do that, then their application will be dismissed whether it has merit or not because it is up to the applicant to provide the necessary evidence. It is not up to the other parties, and it is certainly not up to the Tribunal to extract evidence.

ANALYSIS

The landlord confirmed that his claims are those set out in the application to the Tribunal. Claim 1 – Rent arrears
The landlord has applied for an order that the tenant pay rent arrears of $1,880.00 at the end of the tenancy.
The landlord has provided the Tribunal with a rent ledger. I have no reason to consider that record to be incorrect.
The landlord has established that the tenant is in arrears of the amount claimed, and that is ordered in full. Claim 2 - Damage
The landlord has claimed a range of damage at the end of the tenancy.
With any compensation claim, to receive an order the party must incur a loss. In short, the compensation is intended as best money can do, to compensate for the actual loss incurred.
Where a landlord claims compensation for damage caused by a tenant, the landlord must first prove the damage is more than fair wear and tear, and that it occurred during the tenancy. 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.
Where the damage is caused carelessly, the tenant's liability is limited to the lesser of the insurance excess or four weeks' rent.
Tenants are liable for the cost of repairing damage that is intentional or which results from any activity at the premises that is an imprisonable offence. This applies to anything the tenant does and anything done by a person they are responsible for.
Damage is intentional where a person intends to cause damage and takes the necessary steps to achieve that purpose. Damage is also intentional when a person does something, or allows a situation to continue, knowing that damage is a certainty. See the High Court decision of Guo v Korck [2019] NZHC 1541.
In this case, the landlord claims the following compensation: a. Garage weatherboards – the landlord states that the weatherboards on the garage were damaged; the tenant said it was hit by a car. The photographs show a hole in the garage wall. The cost from the builder’s was $345.00 for the repair. b. Broken clearlight in the toilet – the landlord states that some of the skylight was missing in particular the clearlight plastic. The landlord claims the replacement cost of $76.98. c. Rangehood – the landlord states the rangehood had plastic oil collection bowls that were missing at the end of the tenancy. They could not be replaced so the entire unit needed replacement at a cost of $481.00. The landlord said the original unit was some 15 years old. The landlord accepts that depreciation is required, and claims $240.00. d. Broken window – The landlord states that a window was broken at the end of the tenancy. The window was double-glazed. The replacement cost was $579.32. e. Carpet – The landlord states that in one room a large square had been cut out of the carpet, and in other rooms there are carpet stains. Again this is supported by the photographs. The landlord has claimed $700.00. However taking into account the age of the carpet, I consider a fair level of compensation for this would be $300.00. I consider that would likely be representative of what a carpet repair cost and commercial cleaning would cost the landlord. f. Replacement lightshades – the landlord states that three light shades were missing at the end of the tenancy, the replacement costs being $55.89.
I am satisfied on the basis of the evidence available, that the above items have been damaged during the tenancy, and are beyond fair wear and tear. That means, it is then for the tenant to prove that the damage is not careless or intentional damage, and I find she has not done that. I am satisfied that the tenant is liable for the amounts claimed.
In terms of the amount of the respective orders, those are also established, although I note that the claims for the rangehood and carpet must be depreciated.
These claims are established and ordered. Claim 3 – Disposal of goods
At the end of the tenancy the tenant left a range of rubbish and goods on the premises. Photographs have been provided of those. I am satisfied that those items do not have any reasonable sales value, and therefore order that the landlord dispose of those goods as the landlord sees fit.
In reality, the majority if not all of the goods would require dumping, the landlord has claimed $153.00 for that work, that is ordered in full.

FILING FEE

Because the applicant has been wholly successful in their application, I must award the filing fee to commence the proceeding in the Tribunal.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5482889 — Rent arrears at 84 Herbert Street, Masterton, Masterton 5810

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5482889 — Rent arrears at 84 Herbert Street, Masterton, Masterton 5810

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

BACKGROUND

RELEVANT LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

ANALYSIS

FILING FEE

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

BACKGROUND

RELEVANT LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

ANALYSIS

FILING FEE

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions