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'Old and dingy': Property set for demolition instead used as unlawful, crowded boarding house

'Old and dingy': Property set for demolition instead used as unlawful, crowded boarding house

After plans to demolish an “old and dingy” house and develop the site into townhouses were held up, the developer rented it out as a boarding house. It quickly became overcrowded and issues with property maintenance and the presence of mould and asbestos emerged. Now, the “head tenant” has won a substantial payout after a string of complaints revealed aspects of the premises were unlawful. Peter Mazany’s company, Mazany Holdings, has owned the property and another in the Auckland suburb of Birkdale since 2016. He has acknowledged he was at fault, saying he didn’t fully understand the rules around boarding houses. Originally, the sites were slated for development, with plans to build 26 new terraced townhouses, but planning delays, Covid lockdowns and supply chain issues delayed his plans. Instead, Mazany rented out rooms in one of the houses, first as a residential tenancy and later as a boarding house. The house was set for demolition but the plans were delayed and it became a boarding house. Photo / Supplied In a lengthy and detailed decision, Tenancy Tribunal adjudicator Robert Kee acknowledged the rules relating to boarding houses were not only complex, but it was the first time he’d dealt with such a case. According to the decision, the small and modest house was originally two or three bedrooms but had been divided into six, with an open plan kitchen and dining. Beside the house was an old, steel-clad garage that had been converted into a three-bedroomed sleepout, which was at that stage unconsented. Typically, there were nine tenants, with six living in the house and three in the sleepout, who shared the facilities in the main house. In June 2021, Benjamin Bruce Doyle moved into the house, signing a flatmate/house-sharing agreement, because Mazany reasoned that, as he regularly worked from the address, he was the head tenant. The kitchen inside the house. Photo / Supplied The following year, Mazany realised he should treat the house as a boarding house and replaced the tenancy agreements accordingly. By 2024, Doyle became increasingly concerned about the condition of the house, including the presence of asbestos, moisture ingress and mould. Mazany claims Doyle wasn’t opening his window and left his belongings in a room in the house that he used without permission. Doyle left the property in May last year, after being asked to leave in March. Investigations commence After his departure, Doyle complained to Tenancy Services and Fire and Emergency New Zealand about the poor condition of the premises. While the Tenancy Service’s compliance and investigation team did not explore all of the issues it identified at the property, because of the pending Tenancy Tribunal case, which was heard in the North Shore District Court earlier this year, it did issue a report determining a few. Mazany didn’t dispute most of the Tenancy Services or Fire and Emergency findings and accepted his company was in breach of the rules for boarding house tenancies. But he emphasised to the tribunal that he acted in good faith and in what he believed were the tenants’ best interests, providing the tribunal with a survey of seven past and present tenants who were satisfied with him and the house. The shared living room at the boarding house in Auckland. Photo / Supplied Doyle didn’t accept that, believing the company had breached its obligations and ignored his legitimate concerns. In the tribunal decision, adjudicator Kee allowed some of Doyle’s claims, while rejecting others. He found Mazany failed to provide a correct tenancy agreement or lodge the bond, but rejected Doyle’s claims the landlord hadn’t kept the premises reasonably clean. “The premises are old and dingy. The interior could do with a repaint and a thorough deep-clean would not go amiss,” Kee found. “Although the level of cleanliness could be better, I am not satisfied that the landlord breached his duties in this regard by failing to ensure that the premises was reasonably...

'Obviously very unwell': Fans concerned at singer's erratic NZ shows ahead of final gig

'Obviously very unwell': Fans concerned at singer's erratic NZ shows ahead of final gig

Kiwi fans of musician Ryan Adams have expressed their concerns for the singer after two “weird” performances in this country and some concertgoers across the Tasman demanding refunds. Adams, a controversial figure in the music world after accusations he had abused and harassed several women surfaced in 2019, is on three-show tour of New Zealand, with the final concert at the Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland’s Takapuna scheduled for tonight. A concert-goer at last night’s performance at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre complained on social media platform Reddit that the artist seemed unsettled during the show. “The music was great but his drunken rants showed he is obviously very unwell and needs help. I’ve never seen a performer behave like that before and I hope someone keeps him safe tonight,” the person said. Another Reddit user claimed crew members at the show “were also appalled by his behaviour”. In a review of his performance at Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal on Wednesday night, writer David Thorpe said he left the venue “feeling concerned” for Adam’s wellbeing, mentioning the songwriter’s repeated “long rambling tangents”. Promoter TEG MJR has been approached for comment about both shows. Adams was married to actress Mandy Moore for six years before the pair split in 2015. Photo / Kevin Mazur, WireImage Adams is in Aotearoa for his Heartbreaker ’25 World Tour, commemorating the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album with shows in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. He previously performed five shows in Australia, including a bizarre performance on October 12 in Melbourne that spurred some fans to demand refunds. According to news.com.au, Adams reportedly ranted about his ex-wife Mandy Moore before becoming increasingly agitated, and struggled to finish any of the songs on the second half of the set-list. Complaints about the performance prompted Adams to apologise on Instagram, where he wrote he was “wildly embarrassed and disappointed about last night”. The 50-year-old claimed to have experienced an ocular seizure caused by the flashing lights. “The saying ‘fight or flight’ applies here...You want to run, you want to make yourself not have a seizure. Last night I unfortunately had to go through that several times in front of 2,500 people...” After deleting the apology, the Come Pick Me Up singer then posted that Australia was the “worst country ever, every time to play”. “You are the worst people and you know it and the best you can go is copy Americans and UK culture”, he wrote on October 17. The artist has been at the centre of controversy since he was accused of abusing and harassing several women, according to a 2019 New York Times investigation. Moore was one of the seven women who spoke out against Adams, alleging he had emotionally abused her during their six-year marriage. According to the BBC, Adams apologised the following year and said he was getting sober in an “effort to be a better man”.