Diplomat immune to rental claims
The European Union has been asked to waive diplomatic immunity for a diplomat owing Wellington landlords $20,000.
The issue comes down to a $1500-per-week house Delegation of the European Union deputy chief of mission Eva Tvarozkova rented in the hills above Wellington Harbour but moved out of early with unpaid rent and some damage to the house.
But the Tenancy Tribunal case has become entangled in international law because Tvarozkova has diplomatic immunity, which includes immunity from the Tenancy Tribunal.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (Mfat) confirmed it had tried to get the EU to waive immunity for Tvarozkova after she was taken to the Tenancy Tribunal by her former Wellington landlord.
The EU was yet to respond to the request.
A spokeswoman for the Delegation of the European Union in Wellington – where Tvarozkova still works – would not comment due to concerns around diplomatic immunity protocol.
These concerns also mean Tvarozkova cannot tell her side of the story. Tvarozkova had rented a house off Rebecca Van Den Bos and Matthew Ryan.
A Tenancy Tribunal order shows Tvarozkova was ordered to pay $14,314 to the landlords in unpaid rent, as well as other incidentals. Her $6000 bond was also to be handed over.
That order showed that the ‘‘high quality’’ rental was charged out at $1500 per week and the fixed term rental ended in September 2018 but Tvarozkova left early. She did not appear at the Tenancy Tribunal hearing.
Ryan said it had been a problematic tenancy and complaints from the tenants were ‘‘nearlydaily’’ and sometimes unfounded – ranging from too many spiders to the water pressure being too low.
It culminated when he got a demand to fix a heat pump. That conversation ended with Ryan telling the man living with Tvarozkova: ‘‘If you guys carry on this way you probably need to move out.’’
Ryan said he had been up much of the night before with a young baby and apologised but the tenants had used that as an excuse to move out. But he was mostly upset that they did not turn up to Tenancy Tribunal, then didn’t appeal, then waited for Mfat to step in. He believed Tvarozkova and the man living with her – thought to be her partner – were hiding behind immunity.
An Mfat spokesman said New Zealand could not waive diplomatic immunity for another country and it was a decision for the European Union.