Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5399070 — Property damage at 51 Union Street, Hawera 4610
Published 19 March 2026 · Application 5399070
- Property damage
- Cleanliness
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Hawera
Tribunal region
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $1,523.52
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $1,523.52
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet damage (insurance excess | $400.00 | Carpet damage (insurance excess | |
| Cleaning | $270.00 | Cleaning | |
| Wall damage | $500.00 | Wall damage | |
| Rubbish removal | $125.52 | Rubbish removal | |
| Lawns and garden work | $200.00 | Lawns and garden work | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Net award | $1,523.52 | ||
| Bond | $2,160.00 | ||
| Total payable by Tenant to Landlord | $1,523.52 |
Claims and awards for application 5399070 — net $1,523.52 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Carpet damage (insurance excess
- Amount
- $400.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Carpet damage (insurance excess
Cleaning
- Amount
- $270.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Cleaning
Wall damage
- Amount
- $500.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Wall damage
Rubbish removal
- Amount
- $125.52
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rubbish removal
Lawns and garden work
- Amount
- $200.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Lawns and garden work
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Net award
Landlord $1,523.52
Bond
Landlord $2,160.00
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord
Landlord $1,523.52
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- Lavenia Tiplady and Benjamin Tiplady to pay Mills Gibbon & Co Ltd T/A First National Collective on behalf of Abraham Godsell-Slade $1,523.52 from the bond, calculated as shown in the table below.
- The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $2,160.00 (5859243-006) immediately apportioned as follows: Mills Gibbon & Co Ltd T/A First National Collective on behalf of Abraham Godsell- Slade: $1,523.52 Lavenia Tiplady and Benjamin Tiplady: $636.48
Reasons
- The hearing was conducted by video. Only the landlord’s representative attended.
- The landlord has applied for compensation, payment from the bond, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy. Relevant Law
- At the end of the tenancy the tenant must leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and remove all rubbish.
- The tenant must not carelessly or intentionally damage 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
- 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).
- 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).
- 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. Claims Carpet
- The living room carpet was heavily stained during and tenancy and could not be cleaned. The landlord replaced the carpet and claims the $500 insurance excess
- The carpet was five years old and in good condition. Even after depreciation for its age the cost of replacing it exceeded the insurance excess and I have therefore awarded it. Cleaning and Rubbish Removal
- The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish.
- The landlord’s photographs did not justify eight hours of cleaning and so I have reduced the award from $360 to $270 based on six hours cleaning.
- The claim for rubbish removal is reasonable. Wall Damage
- There was damage to a hallway wall and to a wall in the “Blue” bedroom during the tenancy. The tenants have not disproved liability for the damage. The tenants had tried to repair the damage, but it was not to an acceptable standard. The amount claimed for the repairs and painting of the walls is reasonable and so I have awarded it. Lawns and Garden
- The lawns and garden were not left reasonably tidy. Lawns needed mowing and weeds needed removing or spraying. The amount claimed is reasonable and so I have awarded it. Filing Fee
- The landlord has largely succeeded and so I have awarded the filing fee. Result
- The bond has been split to give effect to my order.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Key findings
- Dispute theme: property damage
- Dispute theme: cleaning
Property management
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5399070?
The tribunal order states: Lavenia Tiplady and Benjamin Tiplady to pay Mills Gibbon & Co Ltd T/A First
How much money was awarded in case 5399070?
Cleaning: $270.00 awarded to landlord; Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Lawns and Garden Work: $200.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $400.00 awarded to landlord; Property Damage: $500.00 awarded to landlord; Rubbish Removal: $125.52 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5399070?
The primary dispute was Property damage. Related themes: Cleanliness.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5399070?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13314197-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.