Tenant Successfully Recovers Unpaid Levies and Costs

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[2025] NZTT 9058724

TENANCY TRIBUNAL AT REMOTE LOCATION | TE TARAIPIUNARA RETIHANGA

APPLICANT: [redacted]

RESPONDENT: [redacted] Owner

[NAME]: [NAME]/[NAME] P, [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

ORDER

1. [NAME] must pay [NAME] $10,921.44 immediately, calculated as follows:

Descriptions Applicant Respondent

Ordinary Levy: due on 6 November 2023 $1,904.26 Ordinary Levy: due on 10 November 2024

$2,296.24

Interest: to 7 March 2025 $218.48 Costs: [NAME] Manager debt collection fees

$692.60

Costs: Lawyer's fees $5,154.61 Costs: Appearance at the hearing $155.25 Filing Fee $500.00 Total award with interest $10,921.44 Total payable by Respondent to Applicant

$10,921.44

2. All other claims are dismissed.

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Reasons:

1. [NAME] attended the hearing. [NAME] was represented by [NAME] from [NAME].

2. [NAME] was properly served and sent reminders. [NAME] did not attend the hearing.

3. [NAME] has applied for recovery of unpaid levies, interest, costs and the filing fee from [NAME].

[NAME] owe the levies claimed?

4. A [NAME] must pay all [NAME] levies and outgoings payable for the [NAME]. See sections 80(1)(f) and 121(1) [NAME] Act 2010.

5. [NAME] has applied for two lots of ordinary levies and an “additional maintenance levy for the period 2023 – 24” in the amount of $253.20.

6. As to the ordinary levies, [NAME] has determined the levies payable and [NAME]'s share has been calculated according to their utility interest.

7. [NAME] has fixed the due date for the levies to be paid, and [NAME] has not paid the levies by that date. See section 124(1) [NAME] Act 2010.

8. [NAME] has provided records to prove the amount claimed. The money paid by [NAME] in $100 instalments has been taken into account.

9. The claim for the additional maintenance levy and the interest on that $253.20 is not allowed. This is because I have not been provided with any evidence that [NAME] has determined this levy is payable.

Is [NAME] liable for interest?

10. 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.

11.[NAME] has resolved to charge interest at 10% per annum on unpaid levies. [NAME] has proved the amount of interest owing from the due date to the hearing date.

Is [NAME] liable for costs?

12.Pursuant to section 124 UTA, and as resolved at meetings of [NAME] is entitled to recover any reasonable costs incurred by it in collecting unpaid levies as a debt due by the owner to [NAME]. In accordance with the judgments (of the District Court and Court of Appeal

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respectively) in [NAME] 162791 v [NAME] DC Auckland, CIV2014-004- 0120, 24 June 2014 and [NAME] 162791 v Gilbert [2015] NZCA 185, the Tribunal must order that the reasonable costs incurred by [NAME] in recovering the levies, objectively assessed, be paid by a defaulting [NAME]. I am satisfied that the costs ordered above are reasonable.

13.[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.

K Koller 07 March 2025

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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