Auckland Homeowner Could Lose Home After Failing to Pay $ 180,000 Costs

A former owner who was imposed one of the largest penalties on record for repeatedly breaking the law could have their home confiscated because they have not paid the money owed.

Widharni Iskander, also known as Debbie, was fined $ 180,000 by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) last May.

Iskander saw herself as a savior for the vulnerable and the homeless during Auckland’s housing crisis, but she was found to have herded tenants into garages and individual rooms without consent and was brought to Lease Court due to their bonus system off the books.

In one of the largest cases ever taken by MBIE’s compliance team, she was found guilty of failing to post bond 81 times. In total, 197 different complaints were heard against him.

Speaking to the Herald at his Favona home, Iskander claimed that he had repaid two-thirds of the $ 119,000 in bonds owed to tenants, but in informal cash rather than through the Tenancy Bond Center. She had provided letters from the tenants and evidence of bank withdrawals to MBIE, she said.

Iskander said he had been unable to find the other third of the tenants, some of whom had died.

However, a spokeswoman for MBIE said no payments had been received to date and she was still in the process of recovering the money.

As part of the civil debt process used to recover payments, an indictment was filed against Iskander and a warning was imposed on his $ 670,000 property in Favona, preventing him from selling it.

“If the money is not paid, MBIE will pursue other recovery options, including those outlined in section 133 of the District Courts Act of 2016,” the spokeswoman said.

Options of the law include seizure of a debtor’s property.

Iskander said his attorney was contesting the remaining $ 57,000 of the fine, which was for illegal activities related to the posting of bonds and Lease Court costs.

She had sold three properties to pay the tenants. She was left with two properties and was no longer an owner.

At one time, Iskander was believed to have managed 80 to 100 properties and up to 150 tenants, often renting them out herself and subletting them with cash bonuses and minimal registrations.

Under the name Sanctuary Homes, it saw itself as a one-man house trust and a last resort for people left helpless by the housing crisis. He even had references from Work and Income until he discovered that some of their properties were deficient.

“I go to Jellicoe Park, I pick up people who have nowhere to live, no referrals, no money,” he told the Herald. “I was just trying to fill a void. I tried to create a home for them.”

A former Manurewa rental tenant said people used to call Iskander when they were desperate.

The tenant rented a place to sleep without a toilet, bathroom or kitchen from Iskander in 2016 and was charged $ 530 per week.

“I had been trying to find a house for 90 days. I was very pregnant at the time, I was in the hospital and had nowhere to go,” she said.

After moving in, a tenant in the main house mentioned that consent had not been given to live at night.

“I wasn’t sure what was going on and I didn’t like the amount of money I was paying. But when you’re in dire straits you don’t want to cause any problems.”

Iskander claimed he “had no idea” that some of the properties were not approved.

Her ability to continue operating as a landlord after she was fined prompted calls from politicians and lobbyists for the landlords to obtain a license.

She was one of the few homeowners to be subject to a restraining order, a little-known penalty increasingly applied by government officials against repeat offenders.

A restraining order lasts for up to six years and means that if a landlord commits a similar offense in that time, they can be charged with a crime rather than simply face a fine.

Iskander said he was now caring for older people for a job and had no regrets about his previous dealings with tenants.

“I was a good owner,” he said. “The only thing I had in mind was to take care of the homeless and bring them in.”