Recent Feedback
I have a landlord who has lied about his utilities being connected to the property I'm renting and hence I have been charged for them. I have also been denied access to land that I am paying for and have been living with shoddy repair / maintenence work. How do I go about taking this matter further? This is occuring in more than one place in my rural community, so attitudes here are very relaxed, even amongst real estate agents I've spoken to about the matter.
Already Tried: Emails about repair work, have undertaken some repairs myself, spoken to real estate agents tied to the property( It's on the market), have requested quotes for repairs, offered directly to undertake work that I can do cheaply or for free as long as they provide materials, requested others to contact them on my behalf to no avail. I am not well off enough to undertake the repairs necessary myself and request to be reimbused through tenancy tribunal.
HiWelcome to JustAnswer. These are matters which you should take before the Tenancy Tribunal. Tenants often start in this situation by suggesting to the landlord that you offset the cost of the issues, such as the cost of the utilities and the cost of repairs, against rent payments. You can however make a claim to the tribunal and it is likely that if they agree with your claims, that this would be offset against rent. You have a right as a tenant for the property to be of an appropriate standard of maintenance. There are some specific areas where the property must be up to standard, including the ability to keep the property warm and dry. If the property leaks for example you are entitled to have the property repaired. If you need assistance with the tribunal and the application, let me know. The forms are all available online at http://www.dbh.govt.nz/pub-sorting-out-problems#map11
Experience: LLB MMgt FAMINZ 32 years qualified as lawyer