Mr Pearce describes himself as a self-employed investment and brand development consultant and financial adviser who had worked in the United Kingdom for 30 years, while Ms Knapp is a jewellery designer, claiming to have established international clientele.
Recent allegations about the couple leaving a Lake Hayes property owner more than $16,000 in debt, after failing to pay rent, has inspired another property owner to speak up.
In September last year, Kingston property owner, John Goedemans, of Brisbane, let the couple stay in his new-build house, and claimed the couple caused damage to the property, failed to pay rent, stole items from the house, and overstayed the agreed rental period.
Mr Goedemans told the Otago Daily Times Mr Pearce initially acted like he had lots of money, and claimed he was building a house in luxury estate Jacks Point, which was not yet completed — therefore, he needed to stay in the Airbnb for up to three weeks until the house was ready.
The Kingston home was the first property the couple had rented when they arrived in New Zealand, and they were the first long-term renters of the property.
Mr Goedemans said "initially, Mr Pearce tried to book the home privately through me, rather than on Airbnb, so he didn’t have to pay Airbnb fees.
"He also asked if he could rent the property at a lower price."
After agreeing to book his stay through Airbnb, Mr Goedemans slightly lowered the price, and rented the property to the couple at $450 a night, however, they failed to pay up to $2000 in rent.
Damage started occurring to the property from the first day of the couple’s residency, costing Mr Goedemans about $7000 to repair.
"The first day they were staying, Mr Pearce called me to say the brand-new towel rail had ripped off the wall by itself.
"He’d also bent the oven door. It was as if he’d opened the oven, and stood on the door, bending it off its hinges so it couldn’t close any more."
Drawers and cupboards were also extensively damaged during the couple’s stay, which Mr Pearce claimed had nothing to do with himself or his partner.
Additionally, inside the Kingston Airbnb, there is a private area locked off to guests— the couple had broken into it and stolen eight bottles of wine.
However, when cleaners arrived at the property a few days after the conversation, they found Mr Pearce and his partner inside the house.
The cleaners said when Mr Pearce saw them, he immediately locked all the doors and pulled the blinds, in an attempt to hide.
Eventually Mr Pearce, opened the door to the cleaners, and lied about having an agreement with Mr Goedemans to stay on.
After Mr Goedemans found out the couple had overstayed their welcome, he demanded they pay and leave the property immediately.
Not trusting that Mr Pearce had left when he said he had, Mr Goedemans asked the neighbours of the property to have a look.
When his neighbours arrived, Mr Pearce had left, and they found the house key had been thrown on the lawn, rather than placed in the lockbox.
Attempts to contact Mr Pearce via WhatsApp were regularly made. However, Mr Goedemans has been ignored, and the couple have now deactivated their accounts.
Mr Goedemans has not received payment from the couple, and wanted to ensure no-one else got caught out by the couple.
"Michael’s a dead-set criminal, he doesn’t care about other people."
Mr Goedemans approached the police last year to open an investigation on the couple, but they deemed the situation as a domestic dispute.
Following the recent additional allegations, Mr Goedemans believed the police had re-launched an investigation into the couple.
Both Mr Pearce and Ms Knapp accepted bankruptcy in 2021, according to The UK Insolvency Register.
