Tenant ordered to pay removal fees after leaving property filled with ‘rubbish’

A CAULFIELD NORTH tenant who sought compensation claiming his landlord chucked out furniture and valuables he left behind after moving out, has instead been told to pay hefty cleanup costs after VCAT found it was all mostly junk.

A CAULFIELD NORTH tenant who sought compensation claiming his landlord chucked out furniture and valuables he left behind after moving out, has instead been told to pay hefty cleanup costs after VCAT found it was all mostly junk.

Tenant Luke Tanidis sought compensation at VCAT, claiming landlord Josh Rutman binned his home theatre system, two beds, bags of expensive clothing, a couch, two paintings with sentimental value, and other items worth a total $13,000.

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Mr Tanidis claimed the valuables included a $2500 Persian rug and a $2000 portrait of Bob Marley.

But tribunal member Kylea Campana disagreed, stating the haul had no value, most was “rubbish”, and ordering Mr Tanidis to pay $6133 for removal costs, outstanding rent and damages.

Dealing with the dispute, Ms Campana said she had been “put in an unenviable position of determining what is trash and what is treasure”.

The tribunal heard the dispute started in January, when Mr Tanidis moved out of his Caulfield North rental home.

He left behind “mattresses, chairs, beanbags and other furniture on the nature strip, two couches and a barbecue on the concrete path, and even more items, including furniture and what can only be described as rubbish in various piles”.

Mr Tanidis was given two days to clean the property and remove his furniture, before the landlord hired a removalist to come and do the work a day later.

Mr Rutman sent a message to the tenant to collect his goods, and Mr Tanidis arrived at the property later that day.

“The tenant … says he was distressed at what he saw, with many of his goods now damaged,” the ruling stated.

“He says he didn’t take anything else from the bin as he was emotional and upset, in a rush and had to go to work, and the rest of the items had been damaged.”

Mr Tanidis then told the removalist to “get rid of everything” apart from four pieces of furniture.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords must preserve goods of monetary value for 28 days.

But in her ruling, Ms Campana said the tenant had failed to prove many of the items had been thrown out and while some items were of sentimental value, she was not satisfied they had monetary value.

Mr Tanidis was ordered to pay $2000 for rubbish removal, $2385 in rent, $335 to change the locks, $565 for painting, $658 for carpet and $188 for electrical costs.

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