‘We wake up with headaches’: Alleged mouldy rental turns dream move into a nightmare
Saturday, 18 July 2026
An Australian woman claims her Auckland rental is plagued by mould, dampness and leaks.
Iowna Kessler, 50, says mould has spread throughout the three-bedroom home, leaving her family waking with headaches, nausea and the smell of mould.
Kessler says she has applied to the Tenancy Tribunal seeking a resolution while the property manager says the matter is being addressed through mediation.
Every morning Iowna Kessler says she wakes with cold, dirty water dripping from the ceiling onto her face.
She says it has become a grim daily ritual inside the Blockhouse Bay rental she moved into after relocating from Australia about five months ago.
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The three-bedroom house is riddled with mould, dampness and persistent leaks, she claims, and her family wake up with headaches and nausea, and the smell of mould clings to their bedding.
“It’s dirty water dropping from the ceiling onto my face. We are waking up with severe headaches,” Kessler said.
‘Breathing mould every day’
The 50-year-old said she and her family had dreamed of a fresh start in New Zealand after falling in love with the country during a holiday last year.
For the first month, everything seemed normal in the house.
Then, she says, mould began creeping across the ceilings.
What started as patches in the master bedroom has, she says, spread throughout the house into every bedroom, living room, kitchen and the bathroom.
Kessler, who pays $650 a week in rent, says the smell of mould in the house has become impossible to escape.
“We are breathing in mould every day.”
Kessler says the family now dreads going to bed.
“When I go and kiss my daughter every morning, I can smell the mould on her hair.”
Kessler says she repeatedly raised concerns with the property's manager after mould appeared about three or four months ago.
She says the manager sent someone to clean part of the ceiling using Ajax and vinegar, but the mould returned within a week and eventually spread to the rest of the house.
The moisture, she believes, is caused by a leak in the roof or another building defect, although her property manager told her it’s condensation.
“If it’s condensation in one room then why is the other bedroom wet when nobody sleeps in there?” she said.
She told Stuff the manager advised her to keep a heater running throughout the day to dry the ceiling but, “Who would pay for the electricity bill?”
‘All I want is to leave this house’
Kessler asked the property manager to end the tenancy early with assistance to cover the cost of moving into another rental.
“We’re getting sick. We just want out,” she said.
“We ask that either the bond be transferred to the new place and the landlord pay for at least two weeks’ rent or we don't pay rent in this house for two weeks so that we can use that money to pay for the new house.”
Kessler said she has also filed an application with the Tenancy Tribunal seeking a resolution.
Beloved dog’s ‘ashes and collar covered in mould’
Mould has tainted the wooden box containing the ashes of her beloved jack russell, Elvis, which she brought with her to New Zealand, she said.
She says his collar is also covered in mould.
“I told my children that when I die, I want to be cremated with him. That's why he's in a wooden box.”
Originally from Malaysia, Kessler said she settled in Australia before deciding to relocate across the Tasman after falling in love with New Zealand.
“I love New Zealand. I will never regret moving to New Zealand but I do regret this house,” she said.
Kessler says she decided to speak publicly because she doesn't want anyone else to go through what she and her family have experienced.
“No family should have to wake up with mould around them… It's about making sure this doesn’t happen to another family. Everyone deserves to live in a safe, healthy home.”
Matter is being addressed through mediation: property manager
A spokesperson from Infinite Real Estate, part of Harcourts Newmarket, said the matter was being addressed through a mediation process so it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics.
“However, we can confirm that steps have been taken in an effort to address the concerns raised, and we remain committed to working constructively with all parties towards a resolution,” the spokesperson said.
Stuff reached out to the property owner but they didn’t provide any comments.