Party mess worst seen by manager

A property manager who visited a Fernhill rental house the morning after an out-of-control party has told a tenancy tribunal hearing the resulting mess was the worst he had seen.

The March 4 party in Lordens Pl, advertised on social media, was shut down by police at 1am the next day after generating  several noise complaints from neighbours.

Officers were pelted with bottles after extra staff were brought in from Wanaka, Alexandra and Cromwell to help local staff close it down.

Queenstown Accommodation Centre (QAC) general manager Craig Dow admitted he breached the law when he entered the house uninvited, and had also used inappropriate language when he confronted the tenants.

But they did not respond when he knocked on the door, despite seeing him as he approached the house, and he was "shocked" by what he saw inside.

Bottles were strewn around the house, there was vomit on the floor and a large window in the bathroom had been smashed.

"You’re in charge of someone’s capital investment, they’re relying on you to ensure it’s protected, and I was horrified at what I saw."

The QAC squared off with tenants Edward Masters and James Hampton before tenancy tribunal adjudicator Mark Benvie in the resort on Thursday.

The company has applied for the tenants to be evicted immediately on the grounds of a "severe breach" of the Residential Tenancies Act by interfering with the "reasonable peace, comfort, or privacy of any other person residing in the neighbourhood".

It also claims too many people were living in the house — five rather than the four allowed.

QAC managing director Allan Baillie said the same tenants were responsible for a Hallenstein St party the previous summer that also attracted noise complaints and visits by police and an ambulance.

But current residential tenancy law meant his company was "toothless" to deal with tenants who created such disturbances.

Property manager Scott Duncan presented evidence that included written complaints from neighbours about excessive noise, people living in vans parked on the property and references to the tenants being the "neighbours from hell".

He also tabled a police report stating partygoers had thrown bottles and cans at officers and chanted abuse at police as they entered the house to seize sound equipment.

Mr Masters said accounts of the party had been "seriously exaggerated" in the media. Only about 200 people had attended and only one window had been damaged.

He had told police at 11pm he was unhappy with how the party was going and wanted their help to shut it down.

But he was told they were "understaffed" and could do nothing until more officers arrived.He defended the use of social media to advertise the party, saying Queenstown was probably the only place in New Zealand where it was possible to do so.

"Queenstown is a safe place. There are no fights and very little aggro. People are genuinely about having a good time, and that’s what we were banking on when we made it an open house party."

He denied five people had been living on the property, but said one tenant’s girlfriend stayed there sometimes but was a paying tenant elsewhere in the resort.

Mr Benvie reserved his decision.