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A Darwin landlord has suffered thousands of dollars in damages and rent arrears after his luxury property was trashed by his tenant.
The Stuart Park property owner, Jeremy Gosbois, said it took more than a month to evict the tenant, who he claimed had stopped paying rent and had damaged furniture and the interior of the house.
Mr Grosbois told local paper NT News the tenant cost him more than $14,000 in outstanding rent payments and repairs.
“I heard from other residents the tenant had a live pig or goat in there," he said.
“I believe it was during one of their parties, they were toying with the animal(s).
“Furniture needed to be dumped due to damage. I had to throw out four beds and mattresses, and the house is still being repaired.”
Mr Grosbois had made an application to the Commissioner of Tenancies to evict the tenant, who had been living in the home for eight months.
His request was originally denied, but 10 weeks after the first hearing the decision was overturned.
"[The tenant] didn't pay rent the entire time and there was nothing I could do about it," Mr Grosbois said.
"Effectively, my tenant was a thief - he stole $10,000 in rent money and left thousands in maintenance bills.
"If you were to go into a shop to steal this much money and vandalise the place, you would be criminally prosecuted and most likely given a jail sentence.
"I just think the whole process needs to be changed in the NT. I've found the legal system is a lot more lenient to the tenants than homeowners.
"Renters wonder why landlords are so discriminatory towards stereotypes when they apply for a rent application - it's because they have no power to act on issues when it all goes terribly wrong."
Mr Grosbois is now making a claim through his insurance company.
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