Tenant’s eviction fight over bond claims

A vulnerable tenant is fighting to stay in his home after landlords hit back at complaints with an eviction notice, it is claimed.

The 34-year-old Marlborough man is at the centre of an eviction case set to be heard by the Tenancy Tribunal.

He claims the landlords have carried out a campaign of “harassment and gaslighting.”

The man, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) moved into the rural property in January. Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) paid the first two weeks upfront as requested by the landlords.

Landlords then claimed he owed them a $1100 bond, the man claims. WINZ were never asked to pay a bond, he says.

The man, who grew up in Blenheim, says he had been delighted to find a home after living in his truck.

“I realised that I needed to get better, I needed to do better. I just want peace.”

Three months after moving in, alleged ongoing disputes between both parties, saw the landlords terminate the lease agreement, giving 42 days’ notice.

As of January 30, 2025, New Zealand law says a landlord can give an eviction notice without providing a specific reason.

But the tenant is claiming retaliatory notice, where a landlord gives a notice to a tenant to end a tenancy in retaliation to complaints.

The man, who cannot work on medical grounds, receives a benefit of $509 a week, leaving him $59 dollars a week to live on.

He says the landlords verbally agreed he could get a flat mate to help with rent costs if they received $100 extra a week.

But the arrangement was then cancelled after difficulties with the first flat mate.

After an initial discussion with all parties last week, the case will now proceed to a formal Tenancy Tribunal hearing.

“The landlords knowingly entered into a tenancy agreement supported by the Ministry of Social Development with the explicit understanding that I would secure a flat mate to assist with rent payments,” the man explains

“I can’t just cut and run. I can’t leave because I’ll make myself homeless and I don’t see how I can stay here when I’m not wanted.”

The landlords declined to comment.