The relationship
between some landlords and tenants is strained. Of course this does not happen
by chance or accident. A particular factor may have taken some time to develop
to the extent that a landlord feels bad about his tenant. Just few years ago a
barrister moved out of an apartment at Ugbighoko quarters, Benin City. The landlord
entered the apartment(boys quarter) to inspect it and he melt a rude shock: the
toilet was terribly dirty and messed up. This revealed that the barrister and
his wife were the lazy and dirty type.
Meanwhile, why they were occupying the
apartment it was not possible for the landlord to go in and inspect it. In most
cases, it is not possible to pry into
the privacy of tenants just to ensure that they are maintaining the apartment.
However, this landlord
was yet to meet with another surprise. It was time to fix the apartment and
clean it up thoroughly to pave the way for another tenant. So, he got a painter
to change the look of the apartment and make it more attractive. After this, he
placed a notice outside, that the apartment was open for rent. Although there
were no tiles, many people stopped by to check it. Eventually, somebody paid
for it( 48,000naira being rent for six months).
At this point the
landlord decided to visit the Benin Electricity Distribution Company(BEDC) to
verify the payment history of his previous tenant. To his greatest dismay, the
official disclosed to him that there is six months uncleared bill. So it became
terribly obvious that the barrister intentionally avoided payment of his light
bill. The landlord went back home with great rage, and checked the meter
properly. He discovered that the barrister had by-passed it. He had been
consuming electricity without the meter reading, yet the landlord knew nothing
about it.
Related: 7 Ways to screen your tenant
In other to prepare the meter for use by the new tenant, the landlord
had one option: clear the bill. In view of this, the landlord tried to reach
the barrister on phone but this resulted in serious argument. So much so that,
the barrister issued threats. There was no way he could pin down the barrister
to pay this bill. Therefore, the landlord made up his mind to pay the bill
which amounted to 4500naira.
Over the years, this
landlord had had a bad experience with various tenants. Most of the tenants
left the apartment in bad shape: broken door knob, smashed Louvre, messed up
toilet, destroyed shower and not to mention frequent cases of clash between the
landlord and the tenant. Having reviewed his experience over the years, the
landlord felt it would be better if he sold the house to have peace of mind. Till
date, there is a conspicuous sign of ‘for sale’ in front of the building.
what do you think?
what advice do you have for the landlord?
Is it possible to monitor tenants?
call 07031384722 for conflict resolution
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