Tenantcheck Insights · Case study
Tenancy Tribunal case 5480929 — Rent arrears at 10 Crawshaw Drive, Nawton, Hamilton 3200
Decided 12 June 2026 · Published 12 June 2026 · Application 5480929
Landlord favoured
- Rent arrears
At a glance
Key facts from the published tribunal order.
Outcome
Landlord favoured
From published order
Location
Hamilton
Tribunal region
Adjudicator
T Harris
Dispute themes
Award balance
Gross awards, any bond applied per the order, and the remaining balance payable.
- Gross award
- $4,156.00
- Bond payment as ordered
- −$1,020.00
- Total balance for Tenant to pay Landlord
- $3,136.00
Claims & awards
What this tenancy cost at tribunal — claim, category, amount, and party awarded, with reconciled net total.
| Claim | Landlord | Tenant | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent arrears | $2,300.00 | Rent arrears | |
| Previous order application 5419330 dated 19/02/2026 | $1,828.00 | Previous order application 5419330 dated 19/02/2026 | |
| Filing fee reimbursement | $28.00 | Filing fee reimbursement | |
| Net award | $3,136.00 | ||
| Total payable by Tenant to Landlord | $3,136.00 |
Claims and awards for application 5480929 — net $3,136.00 NZD. Verify on MoJ.
Rent arrears
- Amount
- $2,300.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Rent arrears
Previous order application 5419330 dated 19/02/2026
- Amount
- $1,828.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Previous order application 5419330 dated 19/02/2026
Filing fee reimbursement
- Amount
- $28.00
- Awarded to
- Landlord
- Reason
- Filing fee reimbursement
Net award
Landlord $3,136.00
Total payable by Tenant to Landlord
Landlord $3,136.00
Claim types — money lines allowed on this order
Order
- Tania May Coker owes Utrust Property Management Limited $3,136.00 (“the debt”).
- Tania May Coker must pay rent and the debt as follows: a. By 44 weekly payments of $600.00, being $530.00 for rent and $70.00 for the debt. b. A final payment of $586.00, being $530.00 for rent and $56.00 for the debt. c. Payments will be every Tuesday, with the first payment on 16/06/2026 and continuing until 20/04/2027.
- Payments will be allocated in the following order: rent, rent arrears, and the filing fee.
- If the tenant fails to pay rent and rent arrears within 2 working days of the due dates: a. The tenancy at 10 Crawshaw Drive, Nawton, Hamilton 3200 will terminate and the landlord will have immediate possession of the premises. b. The balance of the debt will be payable immediately.
- If the tenant fails to pay the filing fee within 2 working days of the due date, the filing fee will be payable immediately.
- The Bond Centre is to pay the bond of $1,020.00 (BN-15200469) to Utrust Property Management Limited immediately.
Reasons
- Both parties attended the hearing.
- This is a rehearing of application 5419330.
- The landlord filed a further application 5480929 for termination of the tenancy, rent arrears and refund of the bond, this matter was also heard.
- The tenant wants to repay the debt to avoid immediate termination. Was the correct name used for service of documents.
- The tenant disputed that the notices issued by the landlord were addressed to her because they were addressed to Tania Coker, not Tania May Coker. She believed that this did not identify her as the correct recipient.
- The tenant said that this was a breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986,RTA, and Postal Act but could not identify any section of either act that was breached.
- The tenant said that the name Tania Coker is a truncated version of her name and she does not recognise it. She only recognises her full name which includes her middle name of May. On this basis she has ignored and returned posted communications from the landlord. This has caused issues because the tenant has no email and no phone number and post is the only method of communication the landlord has available to them.
- The tenant has also refused to recognise applications to the Tribunal under Tania Coker as she said that it could be another person and her tenancy agreement records her as Tania May Coker ,the tenant.
- Tenancy application 5419330 recorded the tenants name as Tania May Coker, and application 5480929 recorded the tenants name as Tania Coker.
- The RTA requires a tenant to be formally identified for the purposes of the tenancy agreement and this includes the tenants full name as known to the landlord. See section 13A RTA. This is so the tenant is clearly identified.
- Notices served under the RTA must be done so using the method stated in section 136. Under this section the use of the tenant’s middle name is not a legal requirement.
- This is a long tenancy beginning in 2014. There were no other tenants at the premises with that name or similar as she was the only named tenant for the period of the tenancy. Notices had been received and acknowledged earlier in the tenancy by the tenant when addressed to Tania Coker.
- The issue is whether any notice clearly identifies the tenant and the tenancy. The tenant is identifiable despite the omission of the middle name and there is no confusion about who the notice is for. The tenant also agreed that she received the notices.
- I find that the failure to use the tenants middle name does not invalidate the notices issued by the landlord or notices from the Tenancy Tribunal. The tenant was able to be identified by the first and last name and the tenancy address. I find that there was no confusion or ambiguity and notices issued by the landlord to the tenancy address and both applications to the Tenancy Tribunal are valid.
- The tenant has recently given the landlord her phone number and the landlord has recorded that for future communications the tenants full name, including her middle name, will be used.
- The tenant was also concerned that there was different bond numbers recorded, however this was due to the updating of the bond lodgement system and the landlord has no responsibility for this.
- As part of the file summary sent to the tenant for application 5480929, RTA section references were listed which included section 50A.The tenant believed that the application was erroneously made against a deceased tenant. This was incorrect. The section references were a guidance of what sections are used in the RTA to terminate tenancies.
Should a conditional termination order be made?
- Where rent is at least 21 days in arrears on the date the application was filed, the Tribunal must make either a final or a conditional termination order. See section 55(1)(a) and (1A) Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The landlord established that the rent was owed and the tenant has already been paying extra rent to remedy the rent arrears.
- I am satisfied the tenant will pay the debt within the period specified in the order and is unlikely to commit any further relevant breach. I have granted a conditional termination order.
- The conditional termination order will lapse if it is fully complied with. If the tenant breaches the order, the possession order may be enforced for 90 days from the first breach. See section 64(4)(b) Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
- Because Utrust Property Management Limited has wholly succeeded with the claim I must 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
s12, s136, s13A, s50A, s55(1), s64(4)
Key findings
- Dispute theme: rent arrears
Property management
- UTRUST PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED (applicant)
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Tenancy Tribunal case.
What was the outcome of Tenancy Tribunal case 5480929?
The tribunal order states: Tania May Coker owes Utrust Property Management Limited $3,136.00 (“the
How much money was awarded in case 5480929?
Filing Fee: $28.00 awarded to landlord; Previous Order Application 5419330 D…: $1,828.00 awarded to landlord; Rent Arrears: $2,300.00 awarded to landlord
What type of tenancy dispute was case 5480929?
The primary dispute was Rent arrears.
Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5480929?
The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/13740844-Tenancy_Tribunal_Order.pdf.