Times Of Swaziland: WE NEED RENTAL  ACT

WE NEED RENTAL  ACT
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The Editor on 20/05/2019 08:23:00


Sir,
It is a fact that rental property for residential use is not properly regulated
in Eswatini. The types of rental units, the prices charged and the rights as
well as obligations involving property, owners and tenants need to be looked
into. Written lease agreements, deposits and interest, habitable and
uninhabitable structures and maintenance of property are some of the crucial
things that the Act needs to address. I congratulate government on the
development of the Sectional Titles Act but what should be next is the Rental
Property Act. This Rental Property Act will protect both the property owner and
their tenants.
Deposit
The issue of paying a deposit before being given the keys to a rental property
should be handled properly. For example in South Africa, the South African
Rental Property Act requires that the landlord deposits this money into an
interest bearing account.
The tenant has the right to request a statement of interest earned on his money
at any time. The tenant is entitled to receive the deposit and all interest
earned on the money over the period it was held for, at the end of the lease
agreement period.
Protected
The property owner must also be protected, for example the issue of maintenance
must be clearly defined; a TV mounted on a wall that causes damage to the wall
should be the responsibility of the tenant and their deposit might decrease at
the end of the lease agreement period in order to fix the holes in the wall. In
such an instance though, the property owner must show the tenant the exact
receipts showing the costs of these repairs.
Included
Many more important aspects should be included in this Act. It is my hope that
this letter grabs the attention of the relevant powers that be as we move
forward with Vision 2022.