Pregnant Renter Evicted After Landlord Worried New Baby Would Disturb Him

WOMAN just weeks away from giving birth was evicted because her landlord worried the baby would disturb his sleep. But it has soon backfired on the landlord.

The landlord who evicted his tenant 33 weeks into her pregnancy has now been ordered to pay up.

New Zealand couple Jelena and Milos Pavic had been renting the property from landlord Christopher Norton Bradfield in Browns Bay on Auckland’s North Shore for several years when they were given a tenancy termination notice in February this year, shares news.com.au.

Mrs Pavic was heavily pregnant at the time, and Mr Bradfield was worried the baby would interrupt his sleep.

Mr Bradfield gave the couple just 30 days’ notice to leave the property instead of the 90 days required by law.

Mr Bradfield explained that because the couple’s apartment was next to his own and their bedroom was near his lounge, he was concerned about possible “interrupted sleep due to the new baby”.

The case recently appeared before New Zealand’s Tenancy Tribunal, where adjudicator John Hogan ordered the landlord to pay the couple $6061.43 ($A5575.30) for unlawfully increasing rent, failing to lodge a bond, issuing an unlawful termination notice, and discriminating on the basis of pregnancy.

$2500 of that sum was compensation for discrimination.

What a #%^%@^%#

Have you ever endured a mean landlord?

Share your comments below.

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16 Comments

- - meedee, QLD said
  - 23 Sep 2022
    8:18 am
Hopefully they moved on and were able to find a much better location with a cheaper rent and a more understanding landlord.

- - Blossom, QLD said
  - 17 Sep 2018
    11:54 pm
Not only did he have to pay compensation he was also caught out for breaking some laws. I doubt he did the legal thing with the bonds of other tenants.

- - tessie, QLD said
  - 14 Jul 2018
    5:30 am
How does he know the baby is going to cry and interrupt his sleep. Does he sleep in his loungeroom? Maybe he should find another line of business. Glad the court got him back where it would hurt him the most. His back pocket.

- - BellaB, QLD said
  - 11 Jul 2018
    3:43 pm
I know other people’s kids can be trying at times, but this is jst ridiculously insensitive.

- - rovermum, QLD said
  - 11 Jul 2018
    9:22 am
Wow, there are a number of things wrong with this. Obviously the landlord has never had kids or is insensitive to ‘family’. Glad that it ended with punishment for him.

- - nadine_hill, QLD said
  - 10 Jul 2018
    12:59 pm
What an insensitive and cruel LL – glad the couple got some compensation!

- - sars_angelchik, QLD said
  - 10 Jul 2018
    12:57 pm
Wow, that’s ridiculous! I don’t even know how he could have possibly thought this would be okay! Glad he got penalised.
- mom93821 replied
  
  11 Jul 2018 , 4:54 am
  Sadly! Not the first time I have read about this type of discrimination. 🙁
- - ella12, QLD said
  - 10 Jul 2018
    10:53 am
That’s karma for you baby, lol.

- - mom93821, QLD said
  - 10 Jul 2018
    4:50 am
A pretty upsetting thing to occur when pregnant!

- - nealsq, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    10:51 pm
sometimes it is the renters paying the landlord’s mortgage, you think if they are a good tenant the LL would look after them better! I am glad the renters were compensated for it for a change!

- - mom74005, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    10:06 pm
Wow, I know it can be tough for landlords and renters. But this landlord is just mad, kicking a young family out is just porposterous, I’m glad they got a little compensation for the inconvenience.

- - emily britten, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    8:26 pm
This is so wrong. It’s not like his bedroom was next to their bedroom. I’ve lived in conjoined places with all my kids and not one problem, but my neighbors were nice. This is a disgrace and really wrong I think

- - mom90758, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    5:38 pm
Incredible that he did such a thing. But it’s not legal to give just 30 days notice. If the couple had fought this decision, they would have probably won. Yes, they got compensation, but looking for a new property so far into the pregnancy can be quite stressful. Let’s hope they’ll find a suitable place soon.

- - mom81879, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    5:24 pm
When I was pregnant with our first bub, we lived in a flat in a block of 30 flats on 3 levels. I thought we might be asked to leave because of a newborn disrupting other residents. But there was no issue

- - mom265671, QLD said
  - 09 Jul 2018
    4:55 pm
Wow this person has no compassion. Really? How selfish. Wonderful to see he paid up for his actions