Tenant ordered to pay up after dog destroys lawn, urinates on carpet

• Published date: 25 May 2023
• Publication title: Otago Daily Times: Web Edition Articles (New Zealand)

But that's not the only trouble the dog caused; the smell of urine and faeces inside the Christchurch home was so bad the landlord had to remove the "relatively new" carpet and replace it

The Tenancy Tribunal has now ordered the dog's owner Aleisha Louise Te Kapa to pay Bright Property Management Limited $5009 to help repair and clean the rental home.

The total amount payable was almost $7000 but came down to $5000 less the bond. The amount included $1700 in rent arrears, $3300 to replace the carpet and $476 to repair the lawn.

The head of an organisation which represented the interests of renters said it was an example of an extreme case, when last year only 0.2 per cent of renters appeared in the tribunal for cases involved in recovering damage done to a rental property, and landlords needed to show more flexibility around pets.

Renters United president Geordie Rogers told NZME landlords needed to show more flexibility around pets.

He said the organisation "firmly believed" that people renting a property had the right to a decent home, which included being able to set down roots, build networks with their community, and start a family - whatever that looked like for them.

"When a landlord rents out a home they are trading the ability to dictate the...