The landlord issues tickets for students who do not clean the apartment

Wall around the stove, not just the stove, said Frazer.

An email from Frazer to the student indicates that while he could not accept the management of the house, he had to find a replacement and pay a $ 50 administration fee.

The email says: "THIS IS A WARNING – SITE OR MOVING!"

The student felt attacked and anxious.

However, Frazer said that the student was malevolent and had a personal vendetta against himself and another renter.

The owner had done nothing wrong intentionally, he said.

If the work was not done properly, the tenants agreed in their contract that they would pay $ 1.50, he said.

The agreement stipulated that if the fines accumulated more than $ 6, the tenant must pay the manager in full immediately.

"If we did not have that [fine] … young people as they are, we would not be able to keep the place clean and tidy."

Frazer was hired as manager of the house because the previous manager was doing a "terrible job".

"There was vomit everywhere, there were parties and bottles everywhere."

The student said that he was calling Tenancy Services to ask for help and was told that it was completely illegal for his owners to fine him.

The student works with lawyers and the Victoria University Students Association to bring his case before the Rental Court.

He feared that homeowners would choose vulnerable and complacent young people who would not resist them.

Most of the people in the apartment were young international students, he said.

"Students should know that this is happening, and they must stay away from places like this."

Frazer stated that they were allowed to charge fees, and were not required to file links with the rental services because they were registered as "student hostel" with Wellington City Council.

Jennifer Syke, Manager of Information and Accommodation and Leasing Services, said the general cleaning of the common areas of a pension was the responsibility of the landlord and not the tenant [19659003] "Penalties or fines for non-compliance with a particular rule, or for failure to comply with any obligation under the ATR [Residential Tenancies Act 1986] or the tenancy agreement can not be enforced.

Wellington City Council spokesman Sean Gillespie said that although the property was used as "housing", the Building Act did not deal with leasing issues.

"I'm sure a lot of students will be happy do not have the power to give homeowners permission to charge tenants for not doing the dishes, etc."

A spokeswoman for Victoria University of Wellington said that the university had no agreement, written or otherwise, with the address of The Terrace owners.

The President of Victoria University of Wellington, Marlon Drake, said the cases of homeowners handling tenants were more common than people thought and that bothered them.

"Targeting international students, who have even less understanding and who often struggle to negotiate because of language barriers, is pretty despicable."

The association insisted that students question any clauses that seem unwelcome.

"Cases like these are the reason why VUWSA continues to require a formal process to ensure that real estate agents are licensed and registered, so there are consequences to it. they abuse the system for their own profit. "

A spokeswoman for VUWSA confirmed that the association had seen the student's tenancy agreement, and a student lawyer was working with him to bring his case before the Rental Court.

The owner Terry (Xiaoling) Yin did not return the calls.

Sunday Stars