Tenant liable for damage after pulling motorcycle engine apart on bedroom carpet

An Auckland tenant (not pictured) decided to turn his bedroom into a mechanic's workshop. Photo / 123rf

An Auckland tenant decided that when it came time to pull his motorcycle engine apart, the bedroom in his rental property would do just fine.

But Nilesh Patel's repair job has come with a $6354 cost after he lost a recent Tenancy Tribunal case.

His landlord - listed as Speight Road Properties - won the payout after presenting photos of Patel's handiwork.

"There are pictures of engine parts and other machinery on the wooden floors and carpet," tribunal adjudicator Toni Prowse said in her recent decision.

The landlord told Prowse that they initially spoke to Patel about the damage he caused.

"Mr Patel agreed to fix those items, but the repair work that Mr Patel carried out was of a poor quality and only made the damage worse," Prowse said.

She said the wooden floors showed signs of scratching, sanding and colour removal.

"I regard this damage as intentional, it was done when the tenant attempted to repair the gouges and scratches in the floor."

Another lose floorboard was poorly repaired, while part of the carpet was melted, which Prowse also regarded as intentional damage.

"The tenant has spray painted the carpet to try to disguise the markings."

There was also a hole in the bath.

"This hole is large and appears to have been made from something very heavy being dropped in the bathtub," Prowse said.

Other damage included holes in the walls, a broken towel rack and light switches, and a damaged garage door lock.

Prowse said the landlord had to subsequently undertake much of the repair work themselves.

She ordered Patel and his fellow tenant, Adelaine Geronimo, to pay up for the repairs as well as their share in unpaid rent for the property.

Patel and Geronimo did not attend the hearing.