A King Street rooming house operator has been convicted and ordered to pay more than $6000 in costs and fines after breaching the Residential Tenancies Act 1997
The Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria, Dr Claire Noone, took court action against Mintrell Pty Ltd after two rooming house tenants made complaints in 2010.
The company pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to nine breaches of the Act.
These included one charge of failing to comply with a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) determination to refund bond monies to tenants, and two charges each of:
- failing to prepare compliant tenancy agreements
- failing to provide condition reports to tenants
- failing to complete a bond lodgement form and give it to a tenant to sign
- failing to give the bond and completed bond lodgement forms to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA).
The two tenants who made the complaints had paid bonds, one for $826 and the other for $913.
In one case, the bond was not lodged with the RTBA. The tenant took the matter to VCAT which in turn ordered a refund of the bond money to the tenant. But Mintrell Pty Ltd did not comply with this order until shortly before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court hearing.
In the other case, the tenant’s bond was lodged with the RTBA nearly two months after the required date. The tenant also had to obtain a VCAT order to get it back.
The court convicted Mintrell Pty Ltd of the nine charges and ordered that the company pay penalties totalling $4889 plus court costs of $1324.