Rental smashed in with baseball bat, flooded - tenants ordered to pay $25k for damage

A tenant who smashed up a rental house with a baseball bat has been ordered to pay $25,427 in damages. Photo / 123rf

A tenant who went on a destructive rampage through a house with a baseball bat before flooding the place has been ordered to pay the landlord more than $25,000.

Peniela Tauiti and Huia Faith Flesher rented the Gadsby Rd house in Auckland’s Favona through Ray White 360 Property Management acting for the landlord.

On May 31, 2022, one of the pair used a baseball bat to leave a trail of destruction at the property, moving through the house and smashing walls and appliances.

The tenant then turned on a bathroom tap causing flooding of the floor throughout the house.

Damage was caused to the walls, toilet, bathroom vanity, shower, bath, carpet, kitchen cabinets, stove and cooktop during the vandalism spree.

“The whole bathroom required replacing because the tenant had flooded the bath causing the vanity to swell,” a Tenancy Tribunal decision in the case said.

“The shower was in poor condition and the tiles in the bathroom were ruined from the water damage.

“New vinyl on the floor, repainting of the bathroom, replacement skirting boards and a new shower were required.”

Holes were smashed in the walls of the master bedroom, lounge and garage while water damage had caused seven doors to fall off and rot in the bedroom and wardrobe.

“All of the lounge walls were damaged by multiple holes or flooding in the carpet. The gib required replacing, walls required sand plastering and paint.”

Water damage also caused kitchen cabinets to swell and they had to be replaced.

The ceramic stove cooktop was smashed and the oven door and rangehood were also damaged.

Police were called to the incident and one of the tenants was trespassed from the address, while the other voluntarily moved out immediately, according to property manager Jessica Burrie.

No criminal charges were laid against either of the occupants of the house in relation to the damage, police confirmed.

At a Tenancy Tribunal hearing, the landlord sought compensation for the damage, a refund of the bond, and reimbursement of the application filing fee when the tenancy ended.

Following the hearing, which the couple did not turn up to and the landlord attended by phone, the tribunal ruled the damage was more than fair wear and tear, and the tenants had not disproved liability.

The tribunal’s decision did not identify which renter caused the damage, but said the other tenant reported the vandalism to the landlord and a damage report was conducted immediately.

The tribunal ordered the tenants to pay $25,427 to repair the damages immediately, the decision dated October 20 said.

The bond appeared to have already been refunded so the tribunal could not make an order for that.

Burrie remained hopeful the compensation would be recovered from the couple and said a claim had been lodged with debt collectors.

She said it was the first time in her 17 years in the industry she had seen such extensive damage to a rental property.

“It’s just shocking. No one ever expects that.”