The tenant and the landlord will negotiate this up-front. The amount of deposit due will be stated in the lease agreement. The landlord is entitled to negotiate whatever deposit he/she deems fit. It is common for the landlord to require one month’s rent or a double deposit (two month’s rent). The landlord could even require a triple deposit if the  … Read more

The landlord must maintain the property fit for the purpose for which it was let. If the landlord fails to honour this obligation, you may demand in writing that he attend to the maintenance. The maintenance in question must be a material breach by the landlord such as no water/electricity, a burst geyser or non-working oven. A material breach does  … Read more

Sanette Viljoen   In the case Govender v Salgados Fruiters T/A Lyndhurst Food Basket And Another 2009 (9) SA500 (hereafter referred to as the “case”) the facts were as follows: The Claimant visited the Defendant’s shop as a client. While he was busy shopping, an attempted robbery took place in the shop. The robber asked the shop’s teller to remove  … Read more

Karen van der Berg     It has already become a cliché: your child enjoys playing with the box in which the present came more than playing with the present itself. Every Christmas our (privileged) children are showered with gifts. The latest cellphone, iPad, Kindle … or some gadget that is advertised on TV months ahead of Christmas. Without it  … Read more

Many of us think the endless questions we’re asked when we apply for insurance relate to whether we qualify or not – they do – but they also impact monthly premium costs and the status of a claim. The points below summarise these variable factors. Update your policy information if any of these factors change from year to year:    … Read more

Question: “A buyer is interested in buying my flat. Her bank is not prepared to give her a loan because she is paying off a few personal loans, but she is prepared to enter into an instalment sale agreement to pay the purchase price in instalments over a period of time, much like a rental. I like the idea of  … Read more

Carl Roothman     How do you make sure that you’ve saved enough to enter your retirement years feeling confident and secure? Keep it simple with these six tips. Your retirement years are something to look forward to. This is the time to spend with your grandchildren, pursue your hobbies full-time, or pursue whatever you find most fun and meaningful  … Read more

When tenants give notice that they are terminating their lease, they should keep in mind the date that they have agreed to vacate the property, because if they don’t move out on the agreed date, they could become liable for the rent for that month. If the lease ends and the tenant has not given a specific date, it is  … Read more

5 benefits of using prepaid electricity for tenants: You can avoid those embarrassing electricity disconnections, as with prepaid meters reading and monitoring is not complicated, which makes it easy to know when to buy electricity. Budget-friendly – no electricity bill surprises because you know  exactly how much electricity you use per month. Plus it can help you stretch your budget to other important things such as  … Read more

Sanette de Jager   If I die without a will, the state inherits everything. A verbal promise is good enough. I have the right to inherit from my parents. There are many rumours about wills. Here are a few of them, and the correct versions.   1. The assets of an estate are sold immediately False. The executor of every  … Read more