The civil tribunal in British Columbia, Canada found the woman was entitled to make the deduction of $6.50 CAD (around €4 or £3.50).

The tribunal does not have jurisdiction over tenancy disputes, but said it could rule on what was better described as a “roommate dispute”.

The man paid a $325 security deposit when he moved in, but received only $199.83 on moving out.

The woman said she deducted $18.66 for shared expenses, $6.50 for sweets he ate without her permission, $5 for a magic eraser and $95 as a cleaning fee — a total of $125.16 CAD (around €77 or £68).

The man admitted eating “a few chocolates” but argued that making deductions for sweets was “petty”.

“That might be true, but it does not mean it is improper,” the tribunal ruled.

Discarded sweet wrappers were visible in pictures of the man’s room on moving out which were shown to the tribunal, which confirmed that cleaning was necessary.

The woman was entitled to make all of the deductions and the claims were dismissed.