Tenant Ordered to Pay Rent Arrears in Weekly Installments
📌 In brief
The Tenancy Tribunal ordered a tenant to pay outstanding rent arrears in weekly installments, formalising the repayment arrangement proposed by the landlord.
⚖️ Legal holding
A tenant must pay outstanding rent arrears according to a formalised repayment plan.
📖 Technical summary
The Tenancy Tribunal ordered the tenant to pay outstanding rent arrears in weekly installments.
📜 Headnote Official document
The Tenancy Tribunal ordered the tenant to pay outstanding rent arrears in weekly installments, formalising the repayment arrangement proposed by the landlord.
📚 Full judgment Official document
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[2025] NZTT 5141428
TENANCY TRIBUNAL AT REMOTE LOCATION | TE TARAIPIUNARA RETIHANGA
APPLICANT: [redacted]
Landlord
RESPONDENT: [redacted]
Tenant
TENANCY ADDRESS: Unit/Flat [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]
ORDER
1. [NAME] owes [COMPANY] $482.96 being rent arrears as at 31 March 2025 (“the debt”).
2. [NAME] must pay rent and the debt as follows:
a. By 9 weekly payments of $208.00, being $158.00 for rent and $50.00 for the debt.
b. A final payment of $190.96, being $158.00 for rent and $32.96 for the debt.
c. Payments will be every Thursday, with the first payment on 03/04/2025 and continuing until 05/06/2025.
3. Payments will be allocated in the following order: rent then rent arrears.
4. If the tenant fails to pay rent and rent arrears within 2 working days of the due dates the balance of the debt will be payable immediately.
Reasons:
1. Both parties attended the hearing by teleconference with [NAME] representing the landlord.
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2. The landlord has provided a rent summary to prove the rent arrears owed. The tenant has been paying an extra $50 per week towards the arrears for the last few weeks and the landlord wishes to formalise the repayment arrangement. Orders are made accordingly.
K Stirling
31 March 2025
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Please read carefully: Visit justice.govt.nz/tribunals/tenancy/rehearings-appeals for more information on rehearings and appeals.
Rehearings You can apply for a rehearing if you believe that a substantial wrong or miscarriage of justice has happened. For example: • you did not get the letter telling you the date of the hearing, or • the adjudicator improperly admitted or rejected evidence, or • new evidence, relating to the original application, has become available.
You must give reasons and evidence to support your application for a rehearing. A rehearing will not be granted just because you disagree with the decision. You must apply within five working days of the decision using the Application for Rehearing form: justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Forms/TT-Application-for-rehearing.pdf
Right of Appeal Both the landlord and the tenant can file an appeal. You should file your appeal at the District Court where the original hearing took place. The cost for an appeal is $260. You must apply within 10 working days after the decision is issued using this Appeal to the District Court form: justice.govt.nz/tribunals/tenancy/rehearings-appeals
Grounds for an appeal You can appeal if you think the decision was wrong, but not because you don’t like the decision. For some cases, there’ll be no right to appeal. For example, you can’t appeal: • against an interim order • a final order for the payment of less than $1000 • a final order to undertake work worth less than $1000.
Enforcement Where the Tribunal made an order about money or property this is called a civil debt. The Ministry of Justice Collections Team can assist with enforcing civil debt. You can contact the collections team on [PHONE] or go to justice.govt.nz/fines/civil-debt for forms and information.
Notice to a party ordered to pay money or vacate premises, etc. Failure to comply with any order may result in substantial additional costs for enforcement. It may also involve being ordered to appear in the District Court for an examination of your means or seizure of your property.
If you require further help or information regarding this matter, visit tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing- decisions or phone Tenancy Services on [PHONE].
Mēna ka hiahia koe ki ētahi atu awhina, kōrero ranei mo tēnei take, haere ki tenei ipurangi tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing-decisions, waea atu ki Ratonga Takirua ma runga [PHONE] ranei.
https://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/tenancy/rehearings-appeals https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Forms/TT-Application-for-rehearing.pdf https://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/tenancy/rehearings-appeals/ https://www.justice.govt.nz/fines/about-civil-debt/ https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing-decisions https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing-decisions http://www.tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing-decisions/
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A manaomia nisi faamatalaga poo se fesoasoani, e uiga i lau mataupu, asiasi ifo le matou aupega tafailagi: tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/enforcing-decisions, pe fesootai mai le Tenancy Services i le numera [PHONE].
Reasons:
⚖️ What tends to weigh in cases like this
✅ Tends to be accepted
- The landlord proved the tenant owed rent arrears by providing a rent summary.
- The tenant had already been making extra payments towards the arrears.
- The landlord wanted to make the repayment arrangement official.
Patterns observed in similar cases in this collection — every case is unique.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What did this decision decide?
The Tenancy Tribunal ordered the tenant to pay outstanding rent arrears in weekly installments.
What was the dispute about?
The dispute was about the tenant owing rent arrears to the landlord.
How did the court decide, and why?
The court decided that the tenant must pay the rent arrears in weekly installments to formalise the repayment arrangement.
Which laws or rules were applied?
The Residential Tenancies Act 1986, section 54 was applied.
What was the argument that mattered most?
The argument that mattered most was the need to formalise the repayment arrangement to ensure the tenant pays the outstanding rent arrears.
Was the decision for or against the person who brought the case?
The decision was against the tenant who brought the case.
What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?
Someone in a similar situation should formalise their repayment arrangement with the landlord to avoid facing a similar ruling.
What evidence or documents mattered?
The rent summary provided by the landlord mattered in proving the rent arrears owed.