Cancer patient ‘let down’

A woman with terminal cancer wishes to leave hospice to spend some of her last days at her home but faces eviction over rent arrears.

She owes about $2000 in rent and her landlord has turned to the Tenancy Tribunal to have her evicted.

But the tribunal, which suppressed the details of all involved, found she’d been let down by her expartner, who was also on the tenancy papers and responsible for the debt.

She is now allowed to stay but only if she settles the arrears and pays her future rent on time.

The recently released decision sets out how the woman came to be in such a “vulnerable situation”.

Several months ago she and her expartner advised that he wished to be removed from the tenancy because the relationship had broken down.

But he didn’t sign the documents because the pair reconciled.

However, they separated again and the woman told the tribunal he should no longer be on the tenancy.

She said she had been paying rent and couldn’t understand why there was a debt. The tribunal found the arrears accrued because the man had picked up a job so their incomerelated rent had increased to reflect his employment.

The landlord she has tried to work with the tenants to have the rent reflect their actual situation, but they have not been engaging with her and their advice has been conflicting.

The rent arrears were steadily rising and no one was living there so the tenancy should be terminated.

But the female tenant’s evidence is that she has terminal cancer and is in hospice. “All her things are in her home and she wishes to have some time there,” the decision said.

“She has also been extremely mentally unwell and has been the subject of physical and mental abuse.”

But the woman said she now has support and is doing what she can to retain her tenancy.

The tribunal accepted that with the help of Work and Income she can pay the rent at the higher rate.

It granted a conditional termination order, which will lapse if it is fully complied with.

If the tenants fail to pay rent and the arrears within two working days of the due dates, the tenancy will end.