A man has been awarded £1,500 for “emotional harm” after his landlords forced them to look after their 10 cockatoos while they were on holiday.
The tenant at the home in Auckland, New Zealand told the Tenancy Tribunal he was made to look after the landlords’ pets while they were on holiday and faced the threat of eviction if he refused.
Among the pets were 10 cockatoos, 20-30 goldfish and one dog.
The tenant, who has not been named, said every time he fed the animals he felt like a free servant to his landlord, working in exchange for free accommodation.
This was in spite of him paying the rent.
The landlords, both of whose names are Huixin Sun, were ordered to pay $NZ2835 (£1474.48) for “emotional harm” of their tenant after they also entered the rental home without permission.
However, the claimant wanted more.
The landlords told the tribunal that looking after the animals was “not that difficult” and claimed there had not been any threat of eviction, Nine News reports.
The tenant claimed $NZ6016.23 (£3129.46) in wages for his services to the landlords' menagerie.
However, adjudicator Robert Kee did not allow the claim as it had been filed too late in the proceedings.
"Next-door neighbours or friends quite commonly feed pets while someone is away," Kee said in his decision.
Mr Kee continued to say it was permissible for a landlord to ask their tenant who lived on the same property to feed their pets while they were away.
He said that in his view, the effort required to feed the animals was “not that onerous”.
The tenant also alleged the landlords entered his home without permission and later claimed they didn't think he would mind.
One morning he left out their key for the landlord to enter with a plumber, but then left for work in the afternoon and took the key.
A hidden camera caught the landlords’ son entering the home with the plumber later in the day.
The landlord told the tribunal he didn't think the tenant would mind and didn’t anticipate he would be “very upset” and confront them about it before making a police report.
"I felt completely insecure, and I had to sleep with a knife under my pillow because I did not know who would enter while I'm asleep," the tenant told the tribunal.
He went to the doctor soon after to get medication for anxiety and insomnia.
"The doctor's diagnosis was that I had a strong nervous breakdown and mania, mainly because of the high stress and lack of rest after you entered my house illegally," he told the landlord.
Kee awarded the tenant $NZ2835 (£1474.48) after accepting the tenant's evidence that they had suffered emotional harm
"He suffered worry, stress, frustration, anxiety, and insecurity, albeit the full extent of those feelings cannot be attributed solely to the unlawful entries," he said.
The landlords were also ordered to pay $NZ500 (£260) for failing to lodge bond, $1500 (£780) for failing to replace a smoke alarm, $NZ500 (£260) for entering without permission, and $NZ50 (£26) for flooding caused by a broken pipe.
Meanwhile, the tenant was ordered to pay $NZ3.90 (£2) for a rubbish tag, $NZ50 (£26) for wall damage, $NZ167 (86) for carpet damage and $NZ172 (£89) for a new remote.
