Problem Wairarapa renters in minority | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Tenants have kicked holes in walls, pulled off wallpaper, and stolen stoves and hot water cylinders from Wairarapa rental properties.

But landlords say the problems have been caused by a small number of renters, and overall most are behaving well.

Trust House manages about 530 properties in the region, aimed at those with lower incomes.

Chief executive Bernard Teahan said there was a very small number of tenants who had inflicted damage on properties.

"Some people have created damage in the past," Mr Teahan said.

This has included kitchen appliances being "encrusted" with leftovers, holes kicked in walls, graffiti on walls and wallpaper being pulled off entirely.

"We get circumstances where things are stolen. For example, it's not unusual for a hot water cylinder to be stolen from the house or stoves to go missing."

Patrick and Scott Professionals property manager Leeanne Foot said the firm managed about 280 properties in the region but had tightened the criteria for tenants in the past 18 months.

Miss Foot said that in the past year there had only been one incident of intentional damage, although there were always reports of minor accidental damage.

She said the incident left some structural damage to the house, and the tenant "up and left" with no forwarding address or contact details.

"Obviously, it's not always going to be perfect but that's property management," she said.

A representative from Property Brokers, Masterton, who did not want to be named, said they managed about 150 properties.

There had only been one major incident in the past 12 months.