One unlucky landlady got more than she bargained for after she asked her ‘tenant from hell’ to move out of her $2.2million rental property.
Nina Zhao, 34, issued an eviction notice in June after a routine inspection at her rental property in St Heliers, Auckland, revealed her tenant was subletting illegally.
But to make matters worse, the new occupants refused to move out of the four-bedroom home, leaving the landlady at a loss.
Nina Zhao, 34, issued an eviction notice in June after a routine inspection at her St Heliers rental property revealed her tenant was subletting illegally (pictured)
When she arrived at the home, Ms Zhao found the $2.2million property ‘like a rubbish dump’ with garbage everywhere, including cans of urine in the overgrown garden (pictured)
Ms Zhao told the publication she listed the property on Chinese website Skykiwi as a way to earn ‘easy income’ and had only rented to the man because he looked okay.
‘My father accepted the tenant after looking at him, because he looked decent and was dressed like a businessman,’ Ms Zhao told the NZ Herald.
Over the two years that the man rented the property, Ms Zhao said she didn’t conduct any routine inspections because she didn’t think it was necessary.
It was only when the 34-year-old decided she wanted to move into the house that she conducted her first property inspection.
When she arrived at the home, Ms Zhao found the $2.2million property ‘like a rubbish dump’ with garbage everywhere – including cans of urine in the overgrown garden.
‘There was a padlock on every bedroom door and l learned from the occupants that he has been collecting rent from them and making a profit,’ she said.
When Ms Zhao took the matter to the Tenancy Tribunal, she was informed there was no dispute because the eviction notice period had already ended on July 14.
While the tribunal confirmed the remaining occupants were not lawfully entitled to remain in the house after the lease ended, they said their presence was ‘confusing’.
Ms Zhao later approached some of the occupants to ask them to leave, but she was allegedly greeted by a range of bizarre characters.
One of the illegal occupants allegedly told Ms Zhao: ‘I will pay rent only if you take off your pants.’
After allegedly being threatened by some of the occupants, Ms Zhao reached out to police for assistance, but was informed there was nothing they could do.
New Zealand Property Investors Federation executive officer Andrew King told the NZ Herald it’s incredible the police weren’t prepared to offer their assistance to Ms Zhao.
He said she was given poor advice and the scenario is a classic example of how fractured the Tenancy Tribunal system is in New Zealand.
When the original tenant was evicted, any subtenants were also required to leave, he said.
Mr King added that if Ms Zhao had been aware of her rights, she would have known she could have engaged a court bailiff to remove them if they refused to vacate.
Ms Zhao said the illegal occupants left rubbish everywhere (pictured) and refused to move out of her four-bedroom home