What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5485097 about?

The tribunal order states: An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal

How much money was awarded in case 5485097?

Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $2,022.84 awarded to landlord; Water Rates: $274.89 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5485097?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5485097?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13840870-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5485097 about?

The tribunal order states: An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal

How much money was awarded in case 5485097?

Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $2,022.84 awarded to landlord; Water Rates: $274.89 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5485097?

The primary dispute was Rent arrears.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5485097?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13840870-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5485097 — Rent arrears

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New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5485097 — Rent arrears | TenantCheck

Claims & awards

What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5485097 — net $1,325.73 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 2 July 2026	$2,022.84	Rent arrears to 2 July 2026
Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026	$274.89	Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,325.73
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,325.73

Claims and awards for application 5485097 — net $1,325.73 NZD. Verify on MoJ.

Rent arrears to 2 July 2026

Amount: $2,022.84
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Rent arrears to 2 July 2026

Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026

Amount: $274.89
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026

Filing fee reimbursement

Amount: $28.00
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Filing fee reimbursement

Net award

Landlord $1,325.73

Total payable by Tenant to Landlord

Landlord $1,325.73

Claim types — money lines allowed on this order

Filing Fee Rent arrears Water Rates

Order

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord’s and Tenant’s name and identifying details.
The tenancy of [The tenant/s] at [Tenancy address suppressed] is terminated, and possession is granted to [The landlord/s], at 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026.
[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,325.73 immediately, calculated as shown in the table below.
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,000.00 ([Bond number suppressed]) to [The landlord/s] immediately.

Reasons

The landlord attended the hearing on 2 July 2026. The tenant did not attend.
The tenancy agreement records the tenancy address as the address for service for the tenant. The notice of hearing and application have been sent to the tenant by post to the tenancy address.
The tenancy began on 4 November 2010. The landlord gave evidence that the tenant was originally in good health however suffered a severe stroke during the tenancy and is now unable to speak. The landlord advised that the tenant’s daughter, [the tenant], has advised that she is the tenant’s caregiver. The landlord has asked [the tenant] to provide them with an enduring power of attorney or other legal document confirming that [the tenant] has authority to act on the tenant’s behalf. The landlord has not received any such documentation. Notwithstanding this, the landlord has discussed matters pertaining to the tenancy with [the tenant] in order to try to manage the issue of ongoing rent arrears and avoid the need to seek termination of the tenancy. Unfortunately, these discussions have not cured the issue of late rent payments or ongoing rent arrears.
The notice of hearing has also been sent by email to [the tenant/s] email address. Unfortunately, [the tenant] did not attend the hearing on 2 July 2026 either.
In all of these circumstances, I am satisfied that the tenant has received appropriate notice of the hearing and failed to attend.
The landlord seeks an order for termination of the tenancy, rent arrears, outstanding water rates invoices and a refund of the bond.
As the applicant, the landlord must prove their claim to the civil law standard of proof, on the balance of probabilities.

Should the tenancy be terminated?

Where a landlord applies to terminate for breach, and rent is at least 21 days in arrears on the hearing date, the Tribunal must terminate the tenancy. 1
The landlord submitted a rent summary, which proves rent arrears are $2,022.84 (32 days) as at the date of the hearing. For this reason, the tenancy is terminated.
The landlord requested that the termination date be set to 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026. The landlord advised that they have issued the tenant with a 90- day termination notice effective from 17 August 2026 and requested that the 1 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, sections 55 and 56(2). Tribunal’s order align with the notice. The landlord also advised that they wanted to give the tenant some time to organise their affairs, considering the tenant’s vulnerabilities. All of these circumstances mean the landlord’s request to delay the termination date is understandable and reasonable. The tenancy will end at 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026. The tenant should beware that they remain liable to pay rent up to this date.

How much does the tenant owe in rent arrears?

The landlord submitted a rent summary, which proves the tenant owes $2,022.84 in rent arrears up to 2 July 2026.

How much does the tenant owe in outstanding water rates invoices?

The landlord submitted a copy of a water rates invoice from the Whangarei District Council for $303.92 for the period 14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026. The landlord claims the tenant has not paid the invoice. I accept the landlord’s evidence.
The invoice includes a fixed supply charge of $29.03, which the tenant is not liable to pay. For this reason, the landlord’s claim for outstanding water rates is granted for $274.89, which is the tenant’s consumption. Filing fee and name suppression
The landlord has been wholly successful with their claim. For this reason, I must order the tenant to reimburse the filing fee and grant the landlord’s request for name suppression.
I have a discretion to grant the tenant name suppression under section 95A(4) Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA). This section requires me to consider the interests of the parties and public. In Lewis v Wilson & Horton [2003] 3 NZLR 546 at paragraph 43, The Court of Appeal endorsed the approach taken in the High Court, which held: ...that the principle of open justice dictates that there should be no restriction on publication of information about a case ‘except in very special circumstances.’
This order discusses personal information relating to the tenant’s health, which leans in favour of suppression of the tenant’s name being granted. The tenant’s current health condition is also likely to make it difficult for them to find a private rental in the future and I consider that publication of their name in this order will exacerbate this potential difficulty. Prospective landlords have an interest in knowing the rental history of the tenant however, I consider the weight of this interest to be relatively low. This is because the rent arrears are not especially high. Further, the tenancy has been ongoing for 16 years and issues around rent arrears only appear to have developed recently. For these reasons, I consider the tenant’s interest in suppression outweighs the public’s interest in publication. I order suppression of the tenant’s name and identifying details accordingly.

Claims & awards

What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5485097 — net $1,325.73 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 2 July 2026	$2,022.84	Rent arrears to 2 July 2026
Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026	$274.89	Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$1,325.73
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$1,325.73

Claims and awards for application 5485097 — net $1,325.73 NZD. Verify on MoJ.

Rent arrears to 2 July 2026

Amount: $2,022.84
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Rent arrears to 2 July 2026

Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026

Amount: $274.89
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Water rates (14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026

Filing fee reimbursement

Amount: $28.00
Awarded to: Landlord
Reason: Filing fee reimbursement

Net award

Landlord $1,325.73

Total payable by Tenant to Landlord

Landlord $1,325.73

Claim types — money lines allowed on this order

Filing Fee Rent arrears Water Rates

Order

An application for suppression has been made in this case, and the Tribunal orders suppression of the Landlord’s and Tenant’s name and identifying details.
The tenancy of [The tenant/s] at [Tenancy address suppressed] is terminated, and possession is granted to [The landlord/s], at 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026.
[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] $1,325.73 immediately, calculated as shown in the table below.
The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,000.00 ([Bond number suppressed]) to [The landlord/s] immediately.

Reasons

The landlord attended the hearing on 2 July 2026. The tenant did not attend.
The tenancy agreement records the tenancy address as the address for service for the tenant. The notice of hearing and application have been sent to the tenant by post to the tenancy address.
The tenancy began on 4 November 2010. The landlord gave evidence that the tenant was originally in good health however suffered a severe stroke during the tenancy and is now unable to speak. The landlord advised that the tenant’s daughter, [the tenant], has advised that she is the tenant’s caregiver. The landlord has asked [the tenant] to provide them with an enduring power of attorney or other legal document confirming that [the tenant] has authority to act on the tenant’s behalf. The landlord has not received any such documentation. Notwithstanding this, the landlord has discussed matters pertaining to the tenancy with [the tenant] in order to try to manage the issue of ongoing rent arrears and avoid the need to seek termination of the tenancy. Unfortunately, these discussions have not cured the issue of late rent payments or ongoing rent arrears.
The notice of hearing has also been sent by email to [the tenant/s] email address. Unfortunately, [the tenant] did not attend the hearing on 2 July 2026 either.
In all of these circumstances, I am satisfied that the tenant has received appropriate notice of the hearing and failed to attend.
The landlord seeks an order for termination of the tenancy, rent arrears, outstanding water rates invoices and a refund of the bond.
As the applicant, the landlord must prove their claim to the civil law standard of proof, on the balance of probabilities.

Should the tenancy be terminated?

Where a landlord applies to terminate for breach, and rent is at least 21 days in arrears on the hearing date, the Tribunal must terminate the tenancy. 1
The landlord submitted a rent summary, which proves rent arrears are $2,022.84 (32 days) as at the date of the hearing. For this reason, the tenancy is terminated.
The landlord requested that the termination date be set to 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026. The landlord advised that they have issued the tenant with a 90- day termination notice effective from 17 August 2026 and requested that the 1 Residential Tenancies Act 1986, sections 55 and 56(2). Tribunal’s order align with the notice. The landlord also advised that they wanted to give the tenant some time to organise their affairs, considering the tenant’s vulnerabilities. All of these circumstances mean the landlord’s request to delay the termination date is understandable and reasonable. The tenancy will end at 11:59pm, Monday 17 August 2026. The tenant should beware that they remain liable to pay rent up to this date.

How much does the tenant owe in rent arrears?

The landlord submitted a rent summary, which proves the tenant owes $2,022.84 in rent arrears up to 2 July 2026.

How much does the tenant owe in outstanding water rates invoices?

The landlord submitted a copy of a water rates invoice from the Whangarei District Council for $303.92 for the period 14/08/2025 – 16/02/2026. The landlord claims the tenant has not paid the invoice. I accept the landlord’s evidence.
The invoice includes a fixed supply charge of $29.03, which the tenant is not liable to pay. For this reason, the landlord’s claim for outstanding water rates is granted for $274.89, which is the tenant’s consumption. Filing fee and name suppression
The landlord has been wholly successful with their claim. For this reason, I must order the tenant to reimburse the filing fee and grant the landlord’s request for name suppression.
I have a discretion to grant the tenant name suppression under section 95A(4) Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA). This section requires me to consider the interests of the parties and public. In Lewis v Wilson & Horton [2003] 3 NZLR 546 at paragraph 43, The Court of Appeal endorsed the approach taken in the High Court, which held: ...that the principle of open justice dictates that there should be no restriction on publication of information about a case ‘except in very special circumstances.’
This order discusses personal information relating to the tenant’s health, which leans in favour of suppression of the tenant’s name being granted. The tenant’s current health condition is also likely to make it difficult for them to find a private rental in the future and I consider that publication of their name in this order will exacerbate this potential difficulty. Prospective landlords have an interest in knowing the rental history of the tenant however, I consider the weight of this interest to be relatively low. This is because the rent arrears are not especially high. Further, the tenancy has been ongoing for 16 years and issues around rent arrears only appear to have developed recently. For these reasons, I consider the tenant’s interest in suppression outweighs the public’s interest in publication. I order suppression of the tenant’s name and identifying details accordingly.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5485097 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5485097 — Rent arrears

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Should the tenancy be terminated?

How much does the tenant owe in rent arrears?

How much does the tenant owe in outstanding water rates invoices?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Should the tenancy be terminated?

How much does the tenant owe in rent arrears?

How much does the tenant owe in outstanding water rates invoices?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions