Tenant ordered to pay $5881 for nail damage, cat faeces on carpet

The damage included more than 70 large nails hammered into walls around the house. Photo / file

Former tenants of a South Auckland property have been ordered to pay almost $6000 to the landlord after the house was found with cat faeces on the carpet and walls riddled with nails.

Other damage to the Flat Bush property included holes in the ceilings - thought to be have been done to install wires and cables - damage to thermal curtains, a cracked door that had been forced open and a padlock removed from a bedroom.

The tenants, named in the decision as Wynne Garnie and Pele La'aloi Akeripa, were evicted from the property in August 2018.

"Over 70 large nails had been hammered into walls throughout the house," a Tenancy Tribunal decision said.

"I find this to be intentional [and] award $500 for repairs and repainting. The damage is more than fair wear and tear and the tenant has not disproved liability for the damage."

The landlord and owner of the property, at Raphoe Rd, is named as Rakesh Prakash.

Prakash provided various records and receipts to show more than $800 in rent arrears, rubbish removal hireage, cleaning contractors and services costing up to $1000 and carpet cleaning costs.

Photographs of the rubbish and damage left behind when the tenants left were also provided.

Two tenants who left a South Auckland home damaged have been ordered to pay $5,881. Image / Google

"Large amounts of rubbish and personal belongings were left behind by the tenants - including a large volume of building materials outside and these had to be dealt with and disposed of by the landlord.

"Carpet cleaning [claim also] awarded. I am satisfied that the rubbish left behind meant that carpet cleaning was reasonable and photographs showed cat faeces in two places and dirty footprints."

The tenants' own claim for compensation and a claim that the landlord had failed to provide the premises in a reasonable state of cleanliness were dismissed as no proof was provided to the tribunal.