Dotcom on verge of losing Chrisco mansion

Mr Dotcom's lawyers have warned if the German internet tycoon doesn't meet a looming rent payments, he will lose his lease on the Chrisco mansion and forfeit the $6 million he spent on improvements.

Auckland High Court has just heard the Dotcom family need $28,000 a month to cover their living expenses.

It also needs $220,000 for a one-month lease payment for the rented mansion in Coatesville - of which a quarter has already been paid.

"If they don't make these payments, then they lose the lease. and then all their improvements of $6 million will be forfeited to the landlord," Mr Dotcom's lawyer William Akel told Auckland High Court.

"They want that as their home."

To the crown's skepticism of the size of Mr Dotcom's living expense needs, Mr Akel said it was a big residential property and the maintenance bill was huge.

The Dotcoms also needed a car released from among the assets frozen since Mr Dotcom's dramatic arrest last month, but whether that would be Mr or Mrs Dotcom's car was not known by lawyers in the court this afternoon.

Mr Akel argued the Crown's earlier argument that Mr Dotcom's request for $300,000 to cover living expenses made him a a flight risk was "a bit harsh" Mr Akel said.

"We can't seem to win either way on these issues."

Mr Akel said he was sure appropriate mechanisms could be put in place to ensure Mr Dotcom did not flee the country ahead of his extradition hearing - which could be months away.

This afternoon, Mr Akel also told the court more transparency was needed between the Crown and US authorities as to what it was asking from the court.

Mrs Dotcom's lawyer Aaron Lloyd said the request for expenses needed to be treated with urgency, given Mrs Dotcom was 33-weeks pregnant with twins.

He said the Crown's skepticism as to the size of the expense request was unreasonable.

"Mr Dotcom is having to prepare for a unique and pretty big legal battle here, in circumstances where he doesn't have access to email."

 Some of the expenses were specific to those circumstances, for example the request for $1000 a month to pay for two phone bills.