Renting out a property can be a handy way of boosting your income, as long as you can find good, decent tenants who pay on time and obey the rules. Happily, most do, but those who don’t can wreck your property and your nerves.
Over the years I have rented out a property of mine to all kinds of people. Some of them, wonderful hard working, considerate individuals. And a few nightmares.
One gentleman not only didn’t pay rent, and so eventually had to be asked to leave, but he also took all the curtain rails with him. As well as all of the shelves from the cupboards. To this day I’m not sure what he planned to do with them.
Another kept a dog in the flat, when it was a strictly no pets complex. The dog used the carpets as a litter box. The same person also didn’t seem to have an ironing board and so used the carpet for ironing too. I found out about this when I saw the large iron-shaped burn mark when they’d left.
Then there was the case of a tenant fighting with the neighbour over a parking space, and the body corporate discovering they were growing recreational drugs on the patio.
I also had a tenant who was renting a space on my property, and who forgot to buy charcoal for the braai he was arranging. So he just decided to use my bag without asking. He didn’t feel it necessary to replace it or even say “thank you.”
A friend of mine not only had stuff ‘borrowed’ for indefinite amounts of time, but her tenant also invited his entire family to stay. For two weeks. In a one bedroomed flat. With no offer to pay extra electricity costs either.
Then there was the story of another friend who was trying to pave his driveway one morning. Instead of his tenant keeping his car outside for the day,he kept interrupting the team doing the paving, causing them to stop and start repeatedly.
Sadly these tales are not uncommon. And so I caution you to be very wary of who you choose. I almost wish that as well as doing a financial fitness test you could also ask prospective tenants to complete a “consideration, politeness and basic common sense” test.
Questions would include: “Do you listen to/ watch/ keep up to date with the news?” I was once asked repeatedly why there was no electricity during the worst load shedding period we’ve ever experienced.
And a final caution, if they can’t make it to the showing on time, they are not right for you. When you start to show the space you want to rent out you’ll find that people either don’t pitch up (despite confirming the time and address); arrive but are late; or (rarely) arrive on time.
Do yourself a favour and rule out the first two groups of people. Do you also want someone who’s late with the rent? Also, if it’s a one person flat, rule out anyone who can’t read the ad properly and arrives with their partner and two children. Perhaps a question asking if they can read is also in order.
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