Court bailiffs have posted eviction notices at a $2 million St Heliers rental property where illegal occupiers are refusing to move out. / Brett Phibbs
Court bailiffs have posted eviction notices at a $2 million St Heliers rental property where illegal occupiers are refusing to move out.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed that the eviction notices were issued today.
A tenant at Auckland landlord Nina Zhao's property unlawfully sublet her four-bedroom house to four different families, each occupying a different room.
Zhao, 34, took the tenant to the Tenancy Tribunal for rent arrears and damages to the house and he was served a termination notice which ended his tenancy on July 14.
Although the tenant vacated the house as required, the remaining occupants refused to leave the property.
The order issued by the tribunal gave the occupiers up to 1pm on October 9 to vacate the premises.
Notices were placed at the main door and other entrances to the house, including the garage.
Illegal occupants of a St Helliers house have until 1pm on October 9 to leave.
It warned the occupiers that failing to leave the premises permanently with their belongings and re-entering after that date without the owner's consent was a criminal offence.
"A bailiff or constable will take possession of the premises on behalf of the District Court," the notice said.
The eviction followed a possession order that had not been complied with after the tribunal ruled that the occupants were not lawfully entitled to stay on after the tenancy ended.
Zhao said the matter had progressed "much quicker" since the Herald highlighted her plight last Friday.
"There is now an eviction notice, and we also have a tribunal hearing scheduled in 10 days," she said.
"The occupants have also given me a promise that they will be moving out."
Zhao said one of the occupiers had told her after the Herald story ran that they planned to vacate the property by October 4.
Illegal occupants of a St Heliers house have until 1pm on October 9 to leave.
However, when the Herald entered the house with the owners permission on Monday afternoon, it didn't look like the occupiers are moving anywhere.
The fridge was still well stocked with eggs and vegetables, and laundry are being hung to dry.
No one was at home - three of the bedrooms were padlocked, and one was vacant.
A neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said she believed up to six people were still living there.
"There has been a lot of comings and goings in the last year, and most were strange characters," she said.
"At one point there was a family with two kids, and also another Maori family, but I think they've gone."
She said another neighbour had complained to the council about health concerns, because the occupiers were storing human urine and faeces in cans - to use as fertiliser for a vegetable patch they had dug up in the front yard.
Auckland Council compliance team manager Max Wilde said the council had received three complaints regarding this property since 2017.
"Two related to vermin and one related to smell," Wilde said.
"Our investigators visited the site and on those occasions found there was no smell or vermin, or anything relating to urine or faeces."
