A landlord whose rental was trashed wants more help in place for property investors.

A landlord quoted $42,000 to repair a trashed rental property says there needs to be more protection for property owners.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, had the same tenant in the Auckland property since 2007.

It included a 4300 sq m shed, from which he ran a business, and an attached flat. He had been paying $540 a week.

The landlord said, after her tenant's relationship broke up, he started "to go a little strange" and got behind on the rent.

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Eventually she said she had had enough and gave him 90 days' notice.

"I thought, he's running a business there, to be fair I should give him that long."

But when he shifted out at the end of August, she found he had left a big mess.

None The rubbish filled five extra-large skip bins and there was graffiti that she was told should be covered with plywood because it could not be painted over effectively.

The rubbish filled five extra-large skip bins and there was graffiti that she was told should be covered with plywood because it could not be painted over effectively.

The property was managed by a professional manager who did three-monthly inspections.

Have you had an experience like this, as a landlord? Email susan.edmunds@stuff.co.nz

The landlord said she felt there was not enough in place to help investors in her situation. Insurance would not cover it.

"I like to think I'm a good landlord. I like to keep good tenants... what sort of person does that? There's no need for it... they have no right to go and deface a person's property like that and expect me to pick up the pieces.

"It's just not fair. Lots of people would like to have a place like this to live and work from... there's all this talk about protection for tenants. I've been a landlord for 30 years and when you see stuff like this thrown at you... it starts to wear a bit thin."

She said she did not expect to get any money from the tenant through she would try the Tenancy Tribunal.

SUPPLIED The tenant was paying $540 a week.

"My thought is that as a group we collectively need better protection for when things do go wrong and when tenants go rogue. The government of the day is proposing reforms but I don't see anything in there that helps me, the property owner. The person who worked hard and saved to buy the property and carries full financial responsibility for it.

"The worst tenants need to be named and registered for all to see so they don't go on to the next property without the new landlord knowing. I'm not sure about the property manager's role here but where there is negligence for a service offered and charged for, there may need to be some recourse there also."

DAVID WHITE/STUFF Andrew King said there should be a limit at which damage was classed as vandalism.

Andrew King, executive officer of the NZ Property Investors Federation, said there should be a legal limit where damage became vandalism and could be treated as a criminal act.

Damage was the second-most common cause of complaints to the Tenancy Tribunal, he said, but there was usually little that could be done for investors.

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