Auckland tenants ordered to pay $27k for dog‑damaged rental home
A property manager was forced to cut her final inspection of an Auckland rental property short after being greeted by hundreds of flies, a strong stench of dog poo and urine-soaked carpet.
The Barfoot and Thompson property manager said she could barely enter the property due to the smell of dog urine and faeces.
She was so concerned about the state of the house, she shortened the report to one overall category, noting there were a number of areas that were intentionally damaged by the tenants, Barry Phillips and Tessa Boyd, and their two dogs and six puppies.
“The dogs have defecated and urinated all over the floors, and the stench was very strong,’' Keely Stubbs, the head of property management for the agency’s Mt Eden branch, said in her final inspection report of the Massey house.
“There were hundreds of flies. The floor at the entrance to the first bedroom has been damaged. It appears to be wet from urine.”
Wet items were left on the downstairs floor, the front door wasn’t secure, and the keys hadn’t been returned.
Now the Tenancy Tribunal has awarded the landlords – Barfoot and Thompson as agents for Rysy Investments – $27,000, saying the pair must have known the damage that was being done during their four-year tenancy.
“The tenants allowed a situation where they had six puppies inside, toileting all over the flooring and carpet for a series of months,” tribunal adjudicator Melissa Allan said in a recently released decision.
“The tenants must have known the damage was a certainty.”
Scratch marks, holes in couches, piles of rubbish
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According to the decision, the house wasn’t always in such a poor state. Photos presented at the hearing, taken in May 2023, show the house in a fairly tidy condition, except for two damaged doors, a large pile of rubbish in the laundry, and unkempt lawns.
During that inspection, it was also discovered that the tenants had two dogs (only one of which was permitted) and puppies, which were all housed inside.
The tenants, who were supposed to move out in September 2023, successfully sought a three-month extension, giving them time to re-home the puppies, repair the two doors and maintain the lawns.
But after the tenants left, photos showed the carpet in the bedrooms and hallway was covered in urine and faeces, as was the laminate flooring in the lounge and the terracotta tiles downstairs.
There were scratch marks all over the walls, and some of the carpet had been scratched and torn. A couch in one room had been upended, with the stuffing torn out and covering most of the floor. A window was broken, and there were holes in the walls.
The tenants also left behind a fridge full of food, multiple couches, a double bed and mattress, various drawers, a table, and chairs, a TV cabinet, and huge piles of what appeared to be soiled bedding.
Rubbish was left under the house and strewn throughout the garden.
Barfoot and Thompson asked the Tenancy Tribunal for rent arrears and compensation.
While the decision noted the landlord had claimed insurance for some of the damage, it didn’t cover all of it, including the cost of repairing the flooring, because the insurers believed it was gradual damage.
Soft and swollen particle board
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The landlord said the flooring was so badly damaged that all the carpet, timber underlay, and the vinyl in the kitchen had to be removed.
The floors in the hallway and bedroom also had to be cut out and replaced as the urine had softened and swollen the particle board. Photos showed it was heavily stained and damaged.
Taking into account depreciation and betterment, the tribunal awarded the landlord $23,118 for repairs to the flooring.
A further $5000 was awarded for removing rubbish both inside and under the house, bringing the total award to $27,391.
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Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
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If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
More than 120,000 disabled and older New Zealanders registered in the Total Mobility scheme will pay more for discounted taxi trips from next year as the Government announces a cut to trip subsidies.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said subsidies would drop from 75% to 65% from July 1, 2026, blaming unsustainable rising costs.
Regional fare caps will also be lowered by around 10%.
Wide-ranging Ministry of Transport proposals for the scheme were released for consultation today. Suggested options included "strengthened" eligibility; periodic reassessments; caps on monthly trips; and the potential inclusion of ridesharing services.
"The Government is announcing decisions to stabilise the Total Mobility scheme so that the disability community is supported in a financially sustainable way, by all funding partners," Bishop said of the confirmed subsidy changes.
Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said the new subsidy level would still be higher than what it was four years ago, when it was raised under the previous government.
"We appreciate these decisions will mean fares will increase for Total Mobility users.
"But they will still receive a higher subsidy level than prior to 2022. The changes also provide certainty that those who need the service will have continued access to it."
Demand for the scheme has soared since the subsidy rose from 50% in 2022. Registered users have jumped from 108,000 to 120,000, while trips have risen from 1.8 million in 2018 to three million.
Bishop said the 2022 increase had not accounted for higher demand over time.
"Increased demand now means the scheme is close to exceeding its Crown funding and is placing significant pressure on the contributions from local councils and NZTA," he said.
Costs are forecast to exceed funding by $236 million between 2025 and 2030 under current settings, according to the Government.
The Total Mobility scheme provided subsidised taxi fares for people who could not use public transport independently due to disability or age. The scheme was funded jointly by central government, NZTA's National Land Transport Fund and local councils.
The Government would also provide $10 million to NZTA to ease funding pressures on public transport authorities until the changes took effect.
Reacting to the subsidy changes, Disabled Persons Assembly chief executive Mojo Mathers told 1News that Total Mobility was an "essential service for us".
"This cut to Total Mobility on top of a cost-of-living crisis will only aggravate hardship in an already struggling population," she said in a statement.
"Total Mobility is an essential service for us. Not everyone can get on a bus or drive a car.
"Disabled people will face impossible choices when it comes to travel, when we know that over half don’t have enough to meet their everyday needs."
Labour has criticised the subsidy changes, saying the Government was "making life harder and more expensive for disabled New Zealanders".
Today's announcement came after a delayed year-long Transport Ministry review of the Total Mobility scheme, which included an earlier round of public consultation.
Further changes on the way, proposals in consultation
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Alongside the subsidy cut, the Ministry of Transport has opened consultation on proposals including trip caps, stricter eligibility assessments, and expanding service providers beyond taxis to include ride-hail apps and on-demand public transport.
"Beyond ensuring the scheme’s financial viability, the Government is also taking the opportunity to consider changes to strengthen a system so that it works better for disabled people,” Upston said.
"The Ministry of Transport will be releasing a discussion document to consult on proposals to strengthen Total Mobility to ensure fairer, consistent and more sustainable access to services for people with the greatest need."
The wide-ranging proposals were not yet Government policy and were open for feedback until March 22, 2026. The 10% subsidy cut was not part of the consultation.
The proposals include trip caps, with two options. The first would give all users a flat monthly cap of 30 to 40 trips at 65% subsidy, with either no further subsidised trips or a reduced 50% subsidy once reached. The second would allocate 10 base trips, plus extras based on need – for example, for employment, health, or education.
The ministry proposed tighter eligibility requirements, including medical evidence from health practitioners, occupational therapists or psychologists when applying.
Currently, assessment standards varied, with no documentary evidence required.
Periodic reassessments would also be introduced under another proposal, requiring users to be re-evaluated after a set period to ensure they remained eligible.
The proposals also aimed to expand service providers beyond traditional taxis to include ride-hail apps, on-demand public transport services, and volunteer community transport providers. The ministry said this could increase availability and give users more options.
It was unclear whether ride-hailing apps would include popular ride-sharing apps such as Uber.
To improve wheelchair accessibility, the ministry also proposed more incentives for service providers, including higher funding for installing ramps and hoists in vehicles, and raising the $10 per wheelchair trip payment that has remained unchanged since 2005.
The ministry was also exploring a national public transport concession for people with disabilities – separate from Total Mobility and implemented through the National Ticketing Solution from 2027.
Labour critical of subsidy changes
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Labour disability issues spokesperson Priyanca Radhakrishnan said the Government was "making life harder and more expensive for disabled New Zealanders by slashing discounted transport fares during a cost-of-living crisis".
"Under Christopher Luxon, disabled Kiwis will now pay more just to get to work, attend health appointments, or see loved ones,” she said in a statement.
"Disability communities feel betrayed. First came the overnight cut to flexible funding; then restrictions on residential care with no warning.
"Then Whaikaha was gutted and disability support shifted to the Social Development Ministry. Now, the transport subsidy many rely on to live independently has been cut.
"For many disabled Kiwis, affordable transport isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a lifeline. It means independence, dignity, and the ability to participate in everyday life and that’s why Labour increased the subsidy in government. This latest change is taking us backwards."
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