Ismail E

Deceiving Landlords

I write this as a concerned tenant with the intention that none go through the same situation & experience the trauma, deception & despair The simple rule is don't ever upgrade a landlords house albeit you need to make it more comfortable for yourself & family My friend did the exact same, just to give the place a more homely feel, from the insides to the outdoors They did a lovely veggie garden, awning as well as planting lawn outdoors, painted & did upgrades indoors with lighting, shelving, cupboards, Burglars etc All the above was passed by the landlord who agreed to contribute toward it as it brought value to the home & property He personally paid the friend a visit and viewed all the work done and appreciated it, in the interim he put the home up for sale & an offer was made but he rejected Eventually tenant decided to move out but an agreement was reached to pay for the upgrades by the landlord... Landlord gave them the runaround up to the last day when he hired a security officer to demand and threaten to get the keys back They didn't give keys until a deposit amount was given for upgrades and an agreement in writing was sent forth, with balance owed by landlord Few weeks passed and again landlord being a professional hid behind a lawyer and didn't take calls as was the case when they were tenenats... What recourse do tenants have with behaviour like this from landlords, how do they recover their money that was spent on upgrades He very emphatically stated that don't take all these items out, I will pay you guys for it In the end, he instructed lawyer to a full and final settlement of a 3rd of the initial amount, how unfair and uncouth and deceitful can people be, especially being a doctor He lives in an affluent suburb in Winchester, sold the house in Lenasia and got away cheap, yet when house was viewed by prospective buyers, all the upgrades added value to the delapidated house. He even had the nerve to say that the electrical compliance didn't pass because of their upgrades, yet didn't give them the same certificate when it was occupied The landlord was Dr R Bhaga How do we deal with people like this ? What recourse do tenants have in a situation like this ?