Rental Housing Tribunal strives to harmonise the rental sector
23 August 2011
Efforts to maintain and foster a stable relationship between landlords and tenants are progressing well. The Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements is pulling every stop to sustain good relationships between tenants and their landlord in the rental housing sector. The Department has resolved 147 out of the registered 158 landlord-tenants disputes during the 2010/11 financial year. The pending 11 cases due to none availability of representatives during the mediation process are currently receiving serious attention.
The Department calls on the public to make use of this free service in order to create an enabling environment within the rental sector. Affected parties are urged to follow the correct procedures when a dispute arises. This can be done by either the landlord or the tenant lodging a complaint to the Department’s Rental Housing Tribunal Directorate. Amongst the most unfair practices received by the department are none refunds of deposits, unfair evictions and lock-outs. In these cases, the tribunal has an authority to arrange for mediations to a hearing of both parties.
In the case of mediation between the parties, the mediator can only advise both parties but does not have the power to make a ruling. The Tribunal conducts speedy process of justice to resolve disputes that may remain clogged in the legal system for quite some time. The ruling of the Tribunal is deemed to be a judgement of a Magistrate Court. Landlords and tenants should know about legal requirements of residential letting and are encouraged to educate themselves to avoid negative consequences of unfair rental practices.
The Rental Housing Act (Act of 1999) provides a broad framework on how to operate and gives both parties the opportunity to present their cases and put forward any relevant evidence before the tribunal. Complaints must be lodged with the Tribunal in writing through the prescribed forms obtainable at the Department’s Regional Offices and all municipal offices in the Province. These forms must be submitted to the Rental Housing Tribunal Secretariat for registration and investigation.
More information is obtainable at – 013 757 1296.
Contact person:
Freddy Ngobe
Tel: 013 766 6014
Cell: 082 859 4630
Issued by the Department of Human Settlements, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
