Tenant Successfully Recovers Unpaid Levies and Costs
📌 In brief
The Tenancy Tribunal ruled in favour of the tenant, ordering the landlord to pay back unpaid levies, interest, and costs. This decision was made under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
⚖️ Legal holding
A tenant is entitled to recover unpaid levies, interest, and costs from the owner under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
📖 Technical summary
The claimant successfully recovered unpaid levies, interest, costs, and filing fees from the respondent.
📜 Headnote Official document
The Tenancy Tribunal ordered the landlord to pay the tenant $17,363.84, including unpaid levies, interest, costs, and filing fees. The decision was based on the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
📚 Full judgment Official document
__________________________________________________________________________________ 9059565 1
[2025] NZTT 9059565
TENANCY TRIBUNAL AT
APPLICANT: [redacted]
RESPONDENT: [redacted] Owner
[NAME]: [NAME]/[NAME] 126, [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]
ORDER
1. [NAME] must pay [NAME] $17,363.84 immediately, calculated as follows:
Descriptions Applicant Respondent
Ordinary Levy: Levies owed to 1 January 2025
$10,558.27
Interest: owed on unpaid levies to 11 March 2025
$678.31
Filing Fee $500.00 Costs: Body Coporate $379.50 Costs: PBB costs of collection s124(2) $5,092.51 Costs: Attendance at today's hearing half hour
$155.25
Total award $17,363.84 Total payable by Respondent to Applicant
$17,363.84
Reasons:
1. Both parties attended the hearing.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 9059565 2
2. The [NAME] has applied for recovery of unpaid levies, interest, costs and the filing fee from the [NAME].
Does the [NAME] owe the levies claimed?
3. A [NAME] must pay all [NAME] levies and outgoings payable for the [NAME]. See sections 80(1)(f) and 121(1) [NAME] Act 2010.
4. The [NAME] has determined the levies payable and [NAME]'s share has been calculated according to their utility interest.
5. The [NAME] has fixed the due date for the levies to be paid, and the [NAME] has not paid the levies by that date. See section 124(1) [NAME] Act 2010. The [NAME] has provided records to prove the amount claimed.
Is the [NAME] liable for interest?
6. If a [NAME] fails to pay levies by the due date, interest accrues on the unpaid balance. A [NAME] may charge interest up to 10% per annum. See section 128 [NAME] Act 2010.
7. The [NAME] has resolved to charge interest at 10 % per annum on unpaid levies. The [NAME] has proved the amount of interest owing from the due date to the hearing date.
Is the [NAME] liable for costs?
8. Pursuant to section 124 UTA, and as resolved at meetings of the [NAME], the [NAME] is entitled to recover any reasonable costs incurred by it in collecting unpaid levies as a debt due by the owner to the [NAME]. In accordance with the judgments (of the District Court and Court of Appeal respectively) in [NAME] 162791 v [NAME], CIV2014-004- 0120, 24 June 2014 and [NAME] 162791 v Gilbert [2015] NZCA 185, the Tribunal must order that the reasonable costs incurred by the [NAME] in recovering the levies, objectively assessed, be paid by a [NAME]. I am satisfied that the costs ordered above are reasonable.
9. Because the [NAME] has succeeded with the claim I have reimbursed the filing fee. Section 176(1) [NAME] Act 2010 and section 102(4) Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
[NAME] 11 March 2025
__________________________________________________________________________________ 9059565 3
Please read carefully:
SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ANY HELP OR INFORMATION REGARDING THIS [COMPANY] [PHONE].
MEHEMA HE PĀTAI TĀU E PĀ ANA KI TENEI TAKE, PĀTAI ATU KI TE [COMPANY] [PHONE].
AFAI E TE MANA’OMIA SE FESOASOANI E UIGA I LENEI MATAUPU FA’AMOLEMOLE IA FA’AFESO’OTAI’I LOA LE OFISA O LE [COMPANY] [PHONE].
Rehearings:
You may make an application to the Tenancy Tribunal for a rehearing. Such an application must be made within five working days of the order and must be lodged at the Court where the dispute was heard.
The only ground for a rehearing of an application is that a substantial wrong or miscarriage of justice has or may have occurred or is likely to occur. Being unhappy or dissatisfied with the decision is not a ground for a rehearing. (See ‘Right of Appeal’ below).
Right of Appeal:
If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the Tenancy Tribunal, you may appeal to the District Court. You only have 10 working days after the date of the decision to lodge a notice of appeal.
However, you may not appeal to the District Court:
1. Against an interim order made by the Tribunal. 2. Against an order, or the failure to make an order, for the payment of money where the
amount that would be in dispute on appeal is less than $1,000. 3. Against a work order, or the failure to make a work order, where the value of the work
that would be in dispute on appeal is less than $1,000.
There is a $200.00 filing fee payable at the time of filing the appeal.
Enforcement:
Where the Tribunal made an order that needs to be enforced then the party seeking enforcement should contact the Collections Office of the District Court on [PHONE] or go to www.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.
http://www.justice.govt.nz/fines/civil-debt
⚖️ What tends to weigh in cases like this
✅ Tends to be accepted
- The tenant is entitled to recover unpaid levies as required by the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
- Interest can be charged at 10% per annum on unpaid levies until the hearing date.
- Reasonable costs incurred by the body corporate in collecting unpaid levies can be recovered from the owner.
- The filing fee is reimbursable when the tenant succeeds with the claim.
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 landlord to pay the tenant $17,363.84, which includes unpaid levies, interest, costs, and filing fees.
What was the dispute about?
The dispute was about the landlord failing to pay the required levies and associated costs to the body corporate.
How did the court decide, and why?
The court decided in favour of the tenant because the landlord failed to pay the levies by the due date, and the body corporate had incurred costs in collecting these levies.
Which laws or rules were applied?
The Residential Tenancies Act 1986, specifically sections 54, 124(1), and 128 were applied.
What was the argument that mattered most?
The argument that mattered most was that the landlord had failed to pay the levies by the due date, leading to interest and costs being charged.
Was the decision for or against the person who brought the case?
The decision was for the tenant who brought the case.
What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?
Someone in a similar situation can seek recovery of unpaid levies, interest, and costs from the landlord through the Tenancy Tribunal.
What evidence or documents mattered?
The judgment mentions records provided by the body corporate to prove the amount claimed.
