A group of renters was left in a "powerless position" when their landlord refused to replace a broken heat pump.

Five people were renting a home in Wellington's Brooklyn, owned by landlord Lifestyle Rental Properties Limited.

In a recently released Tenancy Tribunal decision, the renters began their tenancy in February 2019 and later discovered their heat pump was not working.

The tenants wrote to the landlord in April about it needing to be repaired and a dispute began.

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The renters and Lifestyle Rental Properties Limited argued over whether the landlord was required to supply a working heat pump for the rest of their tenancy.

The sole director and shareholder of Lifestyle Rental Properties Limited is Matthew Peter Ryan, of Wellington.

The decision said the landlord was resistant because the heat pump could not be repaired and replacing it would cost around $7500.

For a short time, it seemed the tenants would be able to get a replacement unit at a cheaper price but the landlord later decided the cost was "prohibitive and refused" to replace the heat pump.

123RF The rental home in Brooklyn has an open plan living area and the heat pump had been used to warm several rooms (file photo).

Instead, the landlord gave the tenants two 2400 watt radiant fan heaters.

The dispute continued and the renters went to the Tenancy Tribunal where they alleged the landlord had committed an unlawful act and claimed compensation for the loss of the home's rental value following the loss of the heat pump.

They also made a claim for the extra costs of heating the house without a heat pump.

JIM RICE/STUFF The renters and Lifestyle Rental Properties Limited argued over whether the landlord was required to supply a working heat pump for the rest of their tenancy (file photo).

The Brooklyn home has a large open plan living area and the heat pump warmed several rooms - the cost to run the heat pump was less than using other forms of heating, the decision said.

Adjudicator Brent Smallbone said "if the landlord had been able to replace the heat pump with some other form of heating that covered all the existing heat pump's features, this would have been acceptable".

The tenants lost a "significant feature" of the house during winter and it also meant they were in an ongoing "battle" with the landlord, he said.

"The tenants were in a powerless position when the landlord refused to replace the heat pump."

Smallbone granted the tenants a 7.5 per cent reduction over a 25-week period and compensation for additional power use from having to use a different form of heating.

Lifestyle Rental Properties was ordered to pay $3728.40 in compensation for electricity usage and rent reduction, damages and a filing fee reimbursement.