KEY POINTS:
State-house tenants are abandoning their houses in a filthy and damaged state, leaving rent unpaid and possessions behind which the Government has to pay to have dumped.
The Tenancy Tribunal's new website, which went live last week, has restricted access, but numerous cases being brought by Housing NZ against tenants are online, naming those who are absconding, how much money they owe the state and giving their addresses.
A spokesman for Courts Minister Rick Barker said the website was never intended to be a general data resource, and details of landlord or tenant are needed to search the site.
"It was designed to balance privacy issues," the spokesman said.
But the website showed 120 pages of decisions involving Housing NZ since February. Hundreds of the decisions are applications by the state for orders against former tenants.
They include applications for outstanding rent, to repair and clean properties or seeking permission to dump goods abandoned by tenants. Most were to terminate tenancies because rent was more than 21 days in arrears.
A decision on a tenancy in Remuera was one such case.
"Photographs produced showed evidence of mould on the walls and ceilings, and the floors had not been washed or vacuumed. The stove was covered in grease and required cleaning," the tribunal's decision said.
"Rubbish, including nine chairs and a desk, had to be removed from the property. There was a hole in the lounge wall which needed to be patched."
Barker said the Tenancy Tribunal issued around 20,000 orders a year, and the public would now be able to access decisions online though the Ministry of Justice website.
