Christchurch landlord fined $4100 for having non-compliant gas supply

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

Christchurch landlord Lina Liu was ordered to pay $4100 for having a non-compliant gas supply at one of her boarding houses. (File photo)

A Christchurch landlord has been ordered to pay $4100 after a non-compliant gas supply was found at one of her properties.

Lina Liu, who has two boarding houses in Christchurch, was taken to the Tenancy Tribunal by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's tenancy compliance and investigations team (TCIT) after it received a complaint about a gas leak at one of her houses.

TCIT national manager Steve Watson said a team also found Liu did not have working smoke alarms at either of her properties and her written tenancy agreements did not include the legally-required statement about what insulation the properties had.

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'Insulation statements were introduced [in July 2016] to give tenants certainty and choice when it comes to choosing which rental house to live in,' he said.

'The lack of understanding in this area is something we see a lot in our work – it is great to see the tribunal support the importance of these statements.'

The Tenancy Tribunal issued an order allowing TCIT to return to Liu's property to ensure the gas work had been fixed, ensuring future tenants could safely live there, he said.

The tribunal also issued a restraining order for two years, which meant Liu could face criminal charges if she breached the law again during that period.

'Landlords need to comply with the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act and not put tenant safety at risk through poor maintenance and ignoring the law.'

Watson said the order highlighted the important work TCIT did across New Zealand to hold landlords to account.

The Tenancy Tribunal ordered Liu to pay $4000 in exemplary damages for health and safety breaches and $100 for failing to provide a written statement that adequately described the levels of insulation.