A Whanganui property management company has been fined more than $30,000 by the Tenancy Tribunal for failing to meet legal obligations to tenants.
The company failed to lodge tenancy bonds, as well as failing to provide tenants with insulation statements.
The Tenancy Tribunal has ordered The Rent Centre Limited pay a total $32,050 in exemplary damages for failing to lodge tenancy bonds or failing to provide a compliant insulation statement as part of the tenancy agreement in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and regulations.
The Rent Centre was also ordered to pay $2,481.24 in associated costs.
Steve Watson, National Manager Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team (TCIT) said the most concerning thing about this case was the number of breaches committed by this property management company.
“The fact that TCIT had discovered 116 breaches of the RTA over a period of four years shows a massive failing in the way this business was operating, said Mr Watson.
"Tenants need to trust and believe that when they are dealing with a landlord, particularly a property management company that has been in business for over 20 years, that the landlord is fulfilling their legal obligations," he said.
The Tribunal awarded 115 Orders of exemplary damages (a financial penalty payable by the landlord) of $250.00 where the landlord failed to lodge the bond paid by the tenant to the Tenancy Bond Centre.
A further 33 Orders required The Rent Centre to pay $100.00 where no insulation statement was provided as a part of the tenancy agreement.
"Compliant insulation statements give tenants peace of mind when it comes to knowing the state of the insulation in their rental home when they start a tenancy," Mr Watson siad.
"These Orders serve as a timely reminder that time is running out for landlords who have not checked to make sure that they have physical insulation installed in accordance with the regulations by 1 July 2019."
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