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Filter: Lease
Can I do as I please with deposits received from my tenant?

11 April 2016

I have a small block of flats that I lease out to tenants. I always insist on a deposit to... cover tenants that skip out on the final lease payment or cause damage to the property. I always invest the deposits in a savings account and in general return the deposits to the tenants. Recently a tenant wishing to terminate his lease approached me and asked for his deposit back including all interest earned thereon. I have never had such a request. Do I have to return the full deposit and interest to him?

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132
Article
Can I change my tenant’s locks?

08 March 2016

I’ve been leasing a small townhouse to a young tenant. Unfortunately, the tenant is terrible at paying his rent and... offers excuse after excuse. I’m fed up with the situation and just want him out. Can I change the locks when he is at work?

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166
Article
Take it with, or leave behind? The complexity of lease improvements

09 November 2015

We’ve been renting a house for a few years. My wife and I had made several improvements to the house... and garden. Now I’m being transferred and we have to move, but am wondering what’s to happen with all the improvements to the rental property. May we take it with or does the landlord need to compensate us for it? 

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155
Article
The pitfalls of residential lease agreements

11 August 2015

Legislation passed in the last 10 years that has an impact on the relationship between landlord and tenant protects the... tenant more than it does the landlord and doesn’t provide the landlord with the same level of certainty than it does for the tenant. It is of utmost importance that residential lease agreements comply with the requirements of current legislation as non - compliance may leave the landlord out of pocket or the landlord may be imposed with hefty penalties. If a residential lease agreement does not comply with the necessary requirements it also becomes very difficult for legal practitioners to enforce these agreements in the event of breach on the side of the tenant due to the protection that legislation affords the tenants.

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488
Article
Can landlords switch off your electricity?

11 June 2015

You’ve just gotten home on a cold winter night and plan to sit snuggly in front of your heater watching... a movie, when you realise - no electricity! Used to load shedding, you opt for a nice warm bath. But, alas the water is already cold. Infuriated, you pull out your phone to call your friend to complain about the state of affairs, when you notice the sms from your landlord informing you that he has cut off your electricity because you are in arrears with your electricity bill. But can he just do this?

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162
Article

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