[ad_1]
By Debbie Jamieson 
The Speargrass Flat home near Arrowtown was rented for $2000 a week until the tenant stopped paying rent.
photo: Debbie Jamieson/Stuff
A Wellington woman’s first experience as a landlord may well be her last after her Arrowtown tenants racked up a $17,000 debt.
Landlord Suzie Bognar tracked down former tenants Michael Pearce and Fiona Knapp via social media this week, claiming they owed her thousands of dollars.
Pierce rented the Bognar family’s single-family home on Speargrass Flat for $2,000 a week, but except for the first two installments, he failed to pay the rent.
The Tenancy Tribunal terminated the lease in January and Pearce was ordered to pay $16,730.14, mostly in rent arrears.
She said the couple had recently returned to New Zealand from the UK and had made some payments, but Bognar was still about $12,000 short.
When approached at their new rental home in Queenstown on Wednesday, Pierce and Knapp declined to comment.
In April this year, the new property in the upscale Jacks Point suburb was renting for $1,795 per week.
On Tuesday, Knapp posted a photo on social media of his family skiing at a nearby ski resort.
Mr Pearce told the Tenancy Tribunal that the money used to pay the rent on the Spielgrass flat was frozen because of Britain’s anti-money laundering regime, but he did not provide evidence.
The UK Bankruptcy Register lists Pierce and Knapp’s bankruptcies separately from 2021 to 2029.
Michael Pierce and Fiona Knapp.
photo: supply
With backgrounds in clothing retail, investments and jewellery, they have been described as a “society power couple”, living in properties including a Grade II listed Notting Hill flat in London and a mansion in Surrey.
Bognar said she felt deceived by the couple.
“It’s mostly disappointing. We have this high-trust model where you don’t expect people to not pay and then basically ignore you and hope you go away. It’s just bizarre,” she said.
She also felt that she was too naive.
Less than two years ago, the property was purchased by a family trust, and since they weren’t using it, they decided to rent it out for a few months during the summer.
They considered listing it on Airbnb but decided a long-term rental would help alleviate Queenstown’s accommodation shortage.
“I don’t think we’ll do it again. It was a really bad experience,” she said.
It’s also important for prospective landlords to understand how difficult it is to maintain title.
Weeks passed and the couple had not paid their rent before she was able to take them to the Tenancy Tribunal, but even if the lease was terminated there was no guarantee the couple and their family would leave the house.
They did leave, but it was then Bognar’s responsibility to find the couple and demand the unpaid rent.
“Every now and then they promised to pay some money, but nothing happened,” she said.
“The whole process is taking too long. There is a bailiff involved now, but a long time has passed since January 26.”
Fundamentally, she said, it’s a moral issue.
“It seems wrong that they are trying to ignore the outstanding debt while continuing to rent out other high-end properties in Queenstown.”
– This article was originally published by thing.
[ad_2]
Source link
