IT is every property owner’s worst nightmare.
You rent out your pristine property to ‘godsend’ tenants, but by the time they make their midnight flip, it looks like the hordes of hell left the hotel.
For a Richards Bay woman with a property in Pretoria, this nightmare came to life when her tenant stripped her property of every fitting, broke out her built-in kitchen table, left her with a R26 000 rates account and skipped town.
But not before the removal truck ‘tekkied’ out a piece of cement driveway and backed into her fence, completely unhinging the gate.
Sue (not her real name) says she concluded a rental agreement with the tenant, a single mom with one child.
They agreed that the tenant would pay her the rent excluding water and lights, which she had to settle with the municipality directly.
‘I wanted to help her by letting her pay the rates only according to what she actually used.’
The contract continued for about eight months until the tenant skipped a payment and did not answer her telephone.
Sue’s brother went to investigate and phoned her with devastating news- everything inside was wrecked and even the curtain railings were removed.
She was basically left with an empty shell.
Still reeling from the shock and wondering how she would pay for the damages, especially without the last month’s rent, Sue received the shock of her life – the astronomical rates account.
Without such a large amount stored up for emergencies, Sue was forced to take out a personal loan.
‘I can at least settle with the municipality, but I am still left with the damages and the outstanding rent.
‘I have had to fix whatever I could to get the property in a condition to rent out again.
‘I don’t have a forwarding postal or physical address for her and even if I could trace her, I can’t afford a lawyer.
‘I am told that the lawyer’s fees could easily be more than the actual amount owing to me.
An attorney says Small Claims Court could afford a solution, but the case will have to be heard by the court in which jurisdiction the property is situated, which presents a logistical nightmare for a person living and working in another province.
Lastly, even in the event of a judgement being granted against the tenant, how will she pay it?
If she does not have an income or any property which can be attached and sold to settle the claim and the legal costs, Sue will still ultimately be held responsible for the legal fees and disbursements and the sheriff’s account.
Meanwhile, it looks as if the tenant has already picked her new victims. ‘I’ve heard that she was seen on some small holding, where she is renting from an elderly couple.’
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