Up in smoke: Cannabis-growing renters set million dollar rental on fire

NZ Herald 30 September 2020
Family First Comment: An Auckland landlord has been left with a $400,000 repair bill after their million dollar rental’s occupants ran a cannabis growing operation that sparked a major fire. Yet the tenants will now contribute just $800 to directly help with the insurer’s repair costs

An Auckland landlord has been left with a $400,000 repair bill after their million dollar rental’s occupants ran a cannabis growing operation that sparked a major fire.

Yet the tenants will now contribute just $800 to directly help with the insurer’s repair costs, a recent Tenancy Tribunal decision showed.

The tenants will, however, have to fork out another $22,000 to cover unpaid rent and other minor expenses incurred by the property owner.

Tenant Hiep Tuan Luu told the tribunal hearing he didn’t know the home was being used to grow cannabis because he hadn’t been living there.

Instead, he had been illegally sub-letting it to a friend.

That ultimately led to the Flat Bush home – which has a $1.1 million council valuation – catching alight on November 30 last year.
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