A former Saudi Arabian diplomat has lost his rental bond after a tribunal rejected his claim to diplomatic immunity and found he caused damage to floorboards estimated at $20,000 to replace.
Two Canberra landlords took former Saudi Arabian embassy cultural attaché, Mundeef Shanar F Alkahtani, to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
There, they sought to claim the full $2578 rental bond following a tenancy at a Canberra suburb that ended in September 2025. The claim covered water-damaged floorboards and the removal of a dishwasher they claimed was the tenant's responsibility.
Alkahtani argued the tribunal did not have the jurisdiction to hear the dispute because he held diplomatic status during the tenancy.
However, in a decision published in July, the tribunal rejected that argument after finding the man's diplomatic accreditation had ended in December 2025 and that only residual diplomatic immunity remained.
The tribunal found that living in a private rental did not fall under his official embassy duties, meaning it "does not attract residual immunity."
As a result, it concluded the former diplomat was subject to the tribunal's authority.
In addressing the property claims, Alkahtani denied liability for the damaged floorboards, arguing the issues may have stemmed from sun exposure, manufacturing flaws, or improper installation.
He also disputed ownership of the dishwasher, contending it came with the premises and was not his responsibility to remove.
However, the tribunal rejected those defences and ruled the dishwasher was indeed the tenant's property and remained his responsibility to remove.
Regarding the floorboards, the tribunal said it was "not persuaded" the damage amounted to fair wear and tear as the tenant claimed.
Rather, it found the damage was "a result of some sort of water impact - whether by leakage of the dishwasher or by otherwise excessive water accumulation" and "not a normal and unintentional incident of occupation" of the property.
The tribunal heard that because matching floorboards were no longer available, the entire floor required replacement, with quotes ranging from $20,000 to nearly $40,000. However, the tribunal noted the landlords were only seeking about 10 per cent of the lower estimate.
The tribunal accepted the figure as reasonable and ordered the full $2578 bond released to the landlords to go toward the floorboard repairs and dishwasher removal.
