What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5512763 about?

The tribunal order states: The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,000.00 (BN-00095591) to [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] immediately.

How much money was awarded in case 5512763?

Cleaning: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $626.75 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $10,142.72 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $60.38 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5512763?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5512763?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13767436-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5512763 about?

The tribunal order states: The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,000.00 (BN-00095591) to [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] immediately.

How much money was awarded in case 5512763?

Cleaning: $300.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $626.75 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $10,142.72 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $60.38 awarded to landlord

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5512763?

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

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5512763?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13767436-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.

Unit/Flat 2, 14 Nova Place, Christchurch Central, Tenancy Tribunal Case 5512763 — Rent arrears

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5512763 — net $9,157.85 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 30 May 2026	$10,142.72	Rent arrears to 30 May 2026
Cleaning	$300.00	Cleaning
Rubbish removal	$60.38	Rubbish removal
Repairs to bedroom wardrobe doors	$626.75	Repairs to bedroom wardrobe doors
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$9,157.85
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$9,157.85

Order

The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,000.00 (BN-00095591) to [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] immediately.
[The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] must take any of the tenant’s personal documents that have been left at the premises to the nearest Police station and obtain a receipt for them.
The landlord may dispose of the other goods left at the premises by the tenant as the landlord sees fit.
[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] $9,157.85 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.

Reasons

Only the landlord attended the hearing which was held by video conference. Both Ms Browne and Mr Carney attended.
I am satisfied that the tenant has been served with landlords’ application in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) and so the hearing proceeded in the tenant’s absence.
This was a fixed term tenancy that began on 30 May 2025 and was for a fixed term of one year until 30 May 2026. Rent was $500 per week.
The landlords have applied for termination of the tenancy for abandonment, rent arrears, compensation, an order for disposal of goods and refund of the bond.

Should the tenancy be terminated?

The Tribunal may terminate the tenancy where the premises have been abandoned and rent is in arrear at the hearing date. See section 61 RTA. A tenancy is abandoned where the tenant leaves the premises without reasonable excuse, not intending to return or to meet their obligations, and fails to notify the landlord.
On 21 May 2026 the landlords became aware that the tenant had abandoned the premises. The landlords explained that they found it difficult to contact the tenant from January 2026 and he started paying rent monthly. The tenant explained that he had to travel overseas and then started to miss monthly rent payments.
When the landlords entered to do an inspection in March 2026 they found the property was in a state of disarray but the tenant still appeared to be living there as all his clothes and personal items were still there. However when the landlords entered to do a further inspection on 21 May 2026 (shortly before the end of the fixed term on 30 May 2026) they found that most of the tenant’s belongings had been removed and there was only unwanted items, rubbish and rotten food, indicating that the tenant had left some time earlier.
The tenant produced a rent summary showing that the tenant did not make the last three-monthly rent payments, and also owes prior arrears and rent for the last 15 days of the tenancy.
Because the premises have been abandoned, and rent is in arrear, the tenancy is terminated immediately.

How much does the tenant owe?

The landlords seek rent arrears to the end of the fixed term. The landlords’ rent summary shows that at the end of the fixed term the rent was in arrears in the amount of $10,142.72.
The claim for rent arrears is proved.

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

At the end of the tenancy the tenant 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) RTA.
The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, and did not remove all rubbish.
The landlords produced photos showing piles of beer bottles and various unwanted items, food left out (and in the fridge), unclean kitchen and stove, unclean shower and bathroom and the entire property generally unclean and untidy. The tenant appears to have left behind a fairly large amount of rubbish and unwanted items.
The landlords produced an invoice for cleaning in the amount of $300. They disposed as much of the rubbish as they were able in the Council red bin and then disposed of the rest, and provided a receipt for disposal in the amount of $60.38.
The landlords have proved that the tenant did not leave the property reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The amounts claimed are reasonable.
The amounts ordered are proved.
The landlords also included a claim for window cleaning ($100) in their application (on the basis that the tenant has put adhesive on the windows) but did not have an invoice for this amount and so withdrew this claim.

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.
Where the damage is caused carelessly, and is covered by the landlord's insurance, the tenant's liability is limited to the lesser of the insurance excess or four weeks' rent (or four weeks' market rent in the case of a tenant paying income-related rent). See section 49B(3)(a) RTA.
Where the damage is careless and is not covered by the landlord's insurance, the tenant's liability is limited to four weeks' rent (or market rent). See section 49B(3)(b) RTA. Where insurance money is irrecoverable because of the tenant's conduct, the property is treated as if it is not insured against the damage. See section 49B(3A)(a) RTA.
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. See section 49B(1) RTA.
Damage is intentional where a person intends to cause damage and takes the necessary steps to achieve that purpose. Damage is also intentional where a person does something, or allows a situation to continue, knowing that damage is a certainty. See Guo v Korck [2019] NZHC 1541.
The landlords produced photos of the wardrobe/cupboard doors in the bedroom showing large holes in them at the end of the tenancy, and produced an ingoing inspection photo showing the doors intact and in good condition.
The landlords produced an invoice for repairs in the amount of $626.75.
I am satisfied that the damage was caused during the tenancy and is more than fair wear and tear. The damage looks to be careless, and possibly intentional.
The amount claimed is reasonable.
The amount ordered is proved. Disposal of goods
The landlords have applied for the disposal of goods the tenant left at the premises at the end of the tenancy. The tenant left behind a backpack with some university notes, immigration papers and his visa.
The landlords have contacted the tenant but the tenant has not replied and so they have been unable to discuss and agree on a period for the tenant to collect the goods. The landlords have been holding these goods since they discovered the tenant had abandoned the property.
It is not practicable for the landlord to the return the goods to the tenant. The value of the goods is below the cost of storing, transporting and selling them, as they are unlikely to have any market value.
Therefore the landlord: a. Must take any personal documents belonging to the tenant to the nearest Police station and obtain a receipt for them from a Police employee; and b. May dispose of any other goods. See sections 62A(5)(b), 62A(2), 62(B) and RTA. Filing fee
Because the landlords have wholly succeeded with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee.
The landlords did not seek an order for name suppression.

Claims and awards in Tenancy Tribunal application 5512763 — net $9,157.85 NZD. Amounts reconciled from the published order (claims sum and net total). Verify on MoJ.
Claim	Landlord	Reason
Rent arrears to 30 May 2026	$10,142.72	Rent arrears to 30 May 2026
Cleaning	$300.00	Cleaning
Rubbish removal	$60.38	Rubbish removal
Repairs to bedroom wardrobe doors	$626.75	Repairs to bedroom wardrobe doors
Filing fee reimbursement	$28.00	Filing fee reimbursement
Net award	$9,157.85
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord	$9,157.85

Order

The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,000.00 (BN-00095591) to [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] immediately.
[The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] must take any of the tenant’s personal documents that have been left at the premises to the nearest Police station and obtain a receipt for them.
The landlord may dispose of the other goods left at the premises by the tenant as the landlord sees fit.
[The tenant/s] must pay [The landlord/s] and [The landlord/s] $9,157.85 immediately, calculated as shown in table below.

Reasons

Only the landlord attended the hearing which was held by video conference. Both Ms Browne and Mr Carney attended.
I am satisfied that the tenant has been served with landlords’ application in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) and so the hearing proceeded in the tenant’s absence.
This was a fixed term tenancy that began on 30 May 2025 and was for a fixed term of one year until 30 May 2026. Rent was $500 per week.
The landlords have applied for termination of the tenancy for abandonment, rent arrears, compensation, an order for disposal of goods and refund of the bond.

Should the tenancy be terminated?

The Tribunal may terminate the tenancy where the premises have been abandoned and rent is in arrear at the hearing date. See section 61 RTA. A tenancy is abandoned where the tenant leaves the premises without reasonable excuse, not intending to return or to meet their obligations, and fails to notify the landlord.
On 21 May 2026 the landlords became aware that the tenant had abandoned the premises. The landlords explained that they found it difficult to contact the tenant from January 2026 and he started paying rent monthly. The tenant explained that he had to travel overseas and then started to miss monthly rent payments.
When the landlords entered to do an inspection in March 2026 they found the property was in a state of disarray but the tenant still appeared to be living there as all his clothes and personal items were still there. However when the landlords entered to do a further inspection on 21 May 2026 (shortly before the end of the fixed term on 30 May 2026) they found that most of the tenant’s belongings had been removed and there was only unwanted items, rubbish and rotten food, indicating that the tenant had left some time earlier.
The tenant produced a rent summary showing that the tenant did not make the last three-monthly rent payments, and also owes prior arrears and rent for the last 15 days of the tenancy.
Because the premises have been abandoned, and rent is in arrear, the tenancy is terminated immediately.

How much does the tenant owe?

The landlords seek rent arrears to the end of the fixed term. The landlords’ rent summary shows that at the end of the fixed term the rent was in arrears in the amount of $10,142.72.
The claim for rent arrears is proved.

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

At the end of the tenancy the tenant 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) RTA.
The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, and did not remove all rubbish.
The landlords produced photos showing piles of beer bottles and various unwanted items, food left out (and in the fridge), unclean kitchen and stove, unclean shower and bathroom and the entire property generally unclean and untidy. The tenant appears to have left behind a fairly large amount of rubbish and unwanted items.
The landlords produced an invoice for cleaning in the amount of $300. They disposed as much of the rubbish as they were able in the Council red bin and then disposed of the rest, and provided a receipt for disposal in the amount of $60.38.
The landlords have proved that the tenant did not leave the property reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The amounts claimed are reasonable.
The amounts ordered are proved.
The landlords also included a claim for window cleaning ($100) in their application (on the basis that the tenant has put adhesive on the windows) but did not have an invoice for this amount and so withdrew this claim.

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.
Where the damage is caused carelessly, and is covered by the landlord's insurance, the tenant's liability is limited to the lesser of the insurance excess or four weeks' rent (or four weeks' market rent in the case of a tenant paying income-related rent). See section 49B(3)(a) RTA.
Where the damage is careless and is not covered by the landlord's insurance, the tenant's liability is limited to four weeks' rent (or market rent). See section 49B(3)(b) RTA. Where insurance money is irrecoverable because of the tenant's conduct, the property is treated as if it is not insured against the damage. See section 49B(3A)(a) RTA.
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. See section 49B(1) RTA.
Damage is intentional where a person intends to cause damage and takes the necessary steps to achieve that purpose. Damage is also intentional where a person does something, or allows a situation to continue, knowing that damage is a certainty. See Guo v Korck [2019] NZHC 1541.
The landlords produced photos of the wardrobe/cupboard doors in the bedroom showing large holes in them at the end of the tenancy, and produced an ingoing inspection photo showing the doors intact and in good condition.
The landlords produced an invoice for repairs in the amount of $626.75.
I am satisfied that the damage was caused during the tenancy and is more than fair wear and tear. The damage looks to be careless, and possibly intentional.
The amount claimed is reasonable.
The amount ordered is proved. Disposal of goods
The landlords have applied for the disposal of goods the tenant left at the premises at the end of the tenancy. The tenant left behind a backpack with some university notes, immigration papers and his visa.
The landlords have contacted the tenant but the tenant has not replied and so they have been unable to discuss and agree on a period for the tenant to collect the goods. The landlords have been holding these goods since they discovered the tenant had abandoned the property.
It is not practicable for the landlord to the return the goods to the tenant. The value of the goods is below the cost of storing, transporting and selling them, as they are unlikely to have any market value.
Therefore the landlord: a. Must take any personal documents belonging to the tenant to the nearest Police station and obtain a receipt for them from a Police employee; and b. May dispose of any other goods. See sections 62A(5)(b), 62A(2), 62(B) and RTA. Filing fee
Because the landlords have wholly succeeded with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee.
The landlords did not seek an order for name suppression.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5512763 — Rent arrears at Unit/Flat 2, 14 Nova Place, Christchurch Central,

At a glance

Tenancy Tribunal case 5512763 — Rent arrears at Unit/Flat 2, 14 Nova Place, Christchurch Central,

At a glance

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Should the tenancy be terminated?

How much does the tenant owe?

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

Is the tenant responsible for the damage to the premises?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions

Award balance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Should the tenancy be terminated?

How much does the tenant owe?

Did the tenant comply with their obligations at the end of the tenancy?

Is the tenant responsible for the damage to the premises?

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Key findings

Frequently asked questions