Rent money ‘came from nowhere’

A property investor is calling for answers after he received rent for 152 days from an empty property.

Josh Harris engaged HouseSmart Solutions to look after his house on Nevay Rd, Wellington.

He was told new tenants had shifted into the property in February. They were to pay $30 a week more than the previous tenants, on a 12-month lease.

Manager Claire Weggery told him the inspections that had been done. He tried to get copies of the tenancy agreement but was unsuccessful.

When he transferred the property to a new property manager in June, he found it was empty.

Talks with neighbours revealed no-one had moved in. In July, rent payments stopped.

‘‘She was paying us $850 a week from somewhere though … We had to pay to have the locks changed.’’

Bond had been held back from previous tenants for repair work, but that had never been done.

‘‘This particular company is still actively trying to recruit business and touting the various awards they’ve won,’’ Harris said.

Multiple attempts by to contact Weggery have been made.

Harris said a tenancy agreement might have fallen through. There was little he could do, he said, because the Tenancy Tribunal would only look at disputes between landlords and tenants.