Rent refused after partner ‘run over’
A tenant is refusing to pay rent after her landlord was involved in her partner’s death.
Christchurch man Anthony George Robinson, 51, was killed last Saturday outside the rental property where he and his partner of 14 years, Jodie Reeves, lived. Their landlord, Chandra Phal, told
he drove off in fear after being attacked, not realising the man was hanging on to his car for about 100 metres.
Phal arrived at the property in Avonhead to take photos for an advertisement after serving the tenants with a 90-day eviction notice. Phal claimed Reeves came outside and yelled racial abuse at him.
Robinson then ‘‘lunged’’ towards Phal, who jumped in his car, closed the door and ‘‘floored the car’’.
About three hours after Robinson’s death Reeves sent a series of texts to Phal, one of which read: ‘‘U will not be getting ur rent now I got to put Anthony at rest because of u.’’ (sic) Phal later texted Reeves, demanding she leave by the day set by the court and pay the weekly $400 rent.
‘‘Nah no rent u took his life u not getting s...,’’ she replied.
Phal told the rent had stopped coming in and he would be contacting the Tenancy Tribunal again. Reeves owed him $410, he said.
‘‘I will give her a week to mourn but will lodge an eviction application soon.’’
Reeves said she sent some ‘‘nasty messages’’ to Phal but said he had put her ‘‘through so much hell’’ since May. She did not to respond to further questions.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) housing and tenancy manager Jennifer Sykes said tenants who had signed a tenancy agreement must continue to pay rent, even if they were in a ‘‘dispute situation’’ with their landlord.
Phal earlier claimed the tenants had been racially abusing him for the past six months. An eviction notice, posted on Facebook by Reeves, said Phal claimed the tenants had breached the tenancy agreement due to a ‘‘breakdown in communication’’.
Reeves said Phal was not supposed to be at the house until a day after the incident.
‘‘He was asked to leave more than three times by me, he would not leave, he was taking photos of the house. Then Anthony went over, leaned on his car, then he went to drive off, but Anthony had hold of his car.’’