Tenant must pay $10,700 for damage

A woman has been found liable for almost $11,000 damage to a property she rented in St Andrews.

Marie Milne’s tenancy of the property ended on February 5, 2021, but a final decision from the Tenancy Tribunal was only delivered in July.

The decision says damage to the property included holes in the walls in a bedroom, laundry, kitchen, lounge and garage, while doors, pavers, a fence, gate and trellis were also damaged. Carpets and curtains were damaged and some had to be replaced, as did the oven.

The landlord, Michelle Greer Real Estate Ltd, of Timaru, successfully applied to the tribunal for rent arrears, compensation, a disposal of goods order, refund of the bond, and reimbursement of the filing fee following the end of the tenancy.

‘‘The tribunal has previously made orders for the disposal of the tenant’s goods and for the release of the bond to the landlord,’’ tribunal adjudicator J Greene’s decision says.

Greene, who conducted the hearing by phone with his call to the tenant going to voice mail, said ‘‘the replacement costs are objectively reasonable and take account of depreciation’’.

Greene awarded $10,762.87, minus the bond payment, which left Milne liable to pay $9642.87.

‘‘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,’’ Greene said.

‘‘The tenant did not leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy and did not remove all rubbish. The amount of cleaning and rubbish removal required was considerable.

‘‘The damage is more than fair wear and tear, and the tenant has not disproved liability for the damage.’’