Published tribunal order
Tenancy Tribunal case 4795599 — Cleanliness at 8 Okareka Loop Road, Lake Okareka, RD 5, Rotorua 3076
Decided 22 Apr 2024 · Published 22 Apr 2024 · Application 4795599
Mixed / unclear
- Cleanliness
- Property damage
Order
- Jacquelene Atkins and Gareth Tabener are to pay Precision Property Management Limited $1,028.47 immediately, calculated as follows: Description of the AwardAmount Rent arrears$2,706.28 Jeans Cleaning (property cleaning)$430.00 Rotorua Pest Control (flea treatment)$327.75 Jet Vac Carpet Cleaning (stain removal)$320.00 Locksmith Solutions (key replacement)$369.00 Reimbursement of the filing fee$20.44 Total$4,173.47 Minus Bond-$3,145.00 Tenant to pay$1,028.47
- Bond Services is to pay the full bond of $3.145.00 to Precision Property Management Limited.
Reasons
- Both parties attended the hearing.
- The Landlord has applied for rent arrears, compensation, refund of the bond, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.
How much is owed for rent?
- The tenancy ended on 13 December 2023. The landlord provided rent records which prove the amount owing at the end of the tenancy: $2,706.28
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) Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
- The Tenant failed to leave the property clean and tidy and did not remove all the rubbish. After reviewing the uncontested evidence from the Landlord, I am convinced that the property was not left in a clean and tidy state. The compensation amounts claimed are deemed reasonable given the property's size, a two-storey house with eight bedrooms, of which only the lower floor was cleaned. The property had a flea infestation that worsened towards the end of the tenancy. Therefore, I award the following claims: a. Jeans Cleaning: $430.00 for 8 hours of work at $50/hour, plus $30.00 for travel. b. Rotorua Pest Control: $327.75 for flea treatment, noting issues with cats (belonging to Tenant’s houseguests) and varying occupancy in the lower storey, with no initial flea presence at the start of the tenancy. c. Jet Vac Carpet Cleaning: $320.00, supported by photographic evidence of heavily stained carpets.
- The Tenant did not return the keys. I award the following: a. Locksmith solution’s - $369.00
- Because Precision Property Management Limited has wholly succeeded with the claim I must reimburse the filing fee: $20.44. Addendum
- The Order has been amended to reflect the application for refund of the bond.