Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5420936 — Property damage at Room 7, Unit/Flat 1, 475A Great South Road, Papatoetoe,
Published 12 May 2026 · Application 5420936
- Property damage
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Tenant favoured
From published order
Location
Auckland
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
B King
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $212.00
- Total balance for Landlord to pay Tenant
- $212.00
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation for toilet seat repair | $184.00 | Compensation for toilet seat repair | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Net award | $212.00 | ||
| Total payable by Landlord to Tenant | $212.00 |
Claims and awards for application 5420936 — net $212.00 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Compensation for toilet seat repair
- Amount
- $184.00
- Awarded to
- Tenant
- Reason
- Compensation for toilet seat repair
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Tenant
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Net award
Tenant $212.00
Total payable by Landlord to Tenant
Tenant $212.00
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- The tenants have been successful with their claim and the Tribunal orders suppression of the tenants’ names and identifying details. The landlord also prefers suppression but the grounds are not established. 1
- Rent My Room Limited owes Tairi Maoate and Tukuneita Takai Maoate $212.00 to be immediately applied as a credit to the tenants’ rent account, being:
Reasons
- Both parties attended the hearing by video/ teleconference. The tenants were represented by Mr Maoate. 1 S.95A RTA
What Happened?
- In early December 2025 there was a problem with one of the toilet seats at the premises being insecure.
- Mr Maoate e-mailed the landlord on 9 December 2025 to ask that it be fixed. A number of follow up e-mail requests were made. Mr Maoate’s evidence is that the only response was an e-mail sent by the landlord suggesting that Mr Maoate fix it himself with a link to a video showing how.
- As the Christmas/ New year period was approaching, Mr Maoate did not think it was safe or appropriate for the problem to be left, especially considering the safety and comfort of the women residents of the boarding house. He arranged for Regency Plumbing to come and fix the toilet seat.
- That was done on 231 December 2025. Mr Maoate paid the plumber’s bill, a copy of which is in evidence, for $184.00 and deducted it from the rent.
- Because of that, the tenants’ rent records now show overdue rent which the landlord is demanding from them. This application was brought asking for confirmation that the tenants are entitled to that compensation.
- The landlord’s position is that the tenants should not be compensated because: a. the landlord was working through the process of getting owner’s approval for the toilet seat to be fixed; b. Mr Maoate was not authorised to arrange for the work to be done; c. when the landlord sent its own plumber to do the work in January 2026, the plumber was told the work had already been done. Findings
- The landlord is correct that tenants do not have a right to decide what repair work needs to be done, have it done without landlord’s approval and then deduct the cost from rent owed.
- In this case though: a. the tenants met their obligation to notify the landlord about the need for the repair; 2 b. despite follow up requests, the landlord breached its obligation to have the repairs completed within a reasonable period; 3 2 S.40(1)(d) 3 S.45(1)(b) c. without other options, it was a reasonable and foreseeable consequence of the landlord’s breach, that the work would need to be done by someone else; d. if the landlord had met its obligations it would have incurred the cost for a plumber’s visit. there is no evidence of loss caused to the landlord through the second plumber’s visit.
- In the circumstances of this case, the tenants are entitled to compensation for having incurred the cost of meeting what was the landlord’s responsibility
- Because Tairi Maoate and Tukuneita Takai Maoate have succeeded with the claim I reimburse the filing fee.
Topics & place
Topics are dispute themes across the order (not the same as claim-type money lines).
Residential Tenancies Act sections
s8
Key findings
- Dispute theme: property damage
Property management
- RENT MY ROOM LIMITED (respondent)
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5420936?
The tribunal order states: The tenants have been successful with their claim and the Tribunal orders
How much money was awarded in case 5420936?
Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to tenant; Property Damage: $184.00 awarded to tenant
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5420936?
The primary dispute was Property damage.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5420936?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13582487-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.