The renters of a of a South Auckland home have been ordered to pay a $1200 fine after posting one of their rooms on Airbnb without the landlord's consent.
The Tenancy Tribunal determined that listing the room on the popular website equated to an illegal sub-let.
However, an effort to evict the Dannemora tenants was denied, the Herald reports.
The owner of the property didn't know the room was being advertised on Airbnb until their insurance company pointed it out, according to the Tenancy Tribunal.
It's not known how common the practice is, but landlords should frequently scan Airbnb to make sure their properties aren't also being listed without their consent, Andrew King of the New Zealand Property Investors' Federation told the Herald.
"There's a real risk for owners, especially if they can lose their insurance cover," he said. "There is also extra wear and tear on the property."
National's Simon O'Connor alleged during Question Time that Phil Twyford should already be aware of this taking place. (Source: Other)
The recent decision isn't the first time the Tenancy Tribunal has ordered a tenant to pay up after listing a room on Airbnb.
A "landmark" case in May involving a penthouse apartment in Wellington resulted in the tenant having to hand over more than $11,000 in profits to the property owner.
"I've never seen anything as deceitful involving the lying and deliberate subterfuge as has gone on in this case," property manager Keith Powell told 1 NEWS at the time.
Subletting can carrying risks for both the renter and owner, says Andrew King. (Source: Other)
The Wellington tenant, who rented out the property 54 times, was labelled a "super-host" with a five-star rating by the website. But the property owner had a much different take on the situation, alleging that the person stopped paying rent and abandoned the property when questioned about the listing.
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