Tenants,landlordinwarofwords
WHILE the tenants of a residential complex in Phoenix claim the landlord instructed security guards to destroy the windows and doors of their flat, the landlord says the tenants damaged their houses, because they were served with summons.
Lance Moodley, owner of Silver Crown Trading and owner of RJ Mansions, a housing complex in Longbury, Phoenix, has rejected allegations made against him by tenants who claim that he orchestrated the forceful removal of doors and windows at their rental homes on July 1.
Moodley said the tenants, who together owe around R1 million in rental arrears, removed the doors and windows themselves and were shifting the blame on to him as a delaying tactic to avoid eviction.
However, Imtiaz Perumal, an affected tenant, denied involvement in the damage to property.
“We had nothing to do with it. We had made agreements on payment previously. Due to the unrest people were unable to make payments.
“On June 16, I received a call from a person named Harry who said payment of 30% must be made by the weekend and 70% soon after; we were unable to do that. They came in without consulting anyone. My wife was at home, and they literally broke the windows,” said Perumal.
“It was traumatising for the women and children when this happened. We had a protest last week to be heard and for people to start complaining. We pay R4 150 for rent, plus we must pay the arrears of about R2 000, and other bills as well.
“It’s hard. We acknowledge that we owe money, but they should give us an amount that we can manage. We can’t manage paying R2 000 in arrears on top of everything else,” said Perumal.
Kriel Raman, who has lived at the complex since 2010, said his wife had just been discharged from hospital when the incident occurred.
“We also have a civil matter going
on because ownership of the complex changed. First it was owned by Jay Singh. The rental went up over R2 000 since then. With my wife having had a stroke, I am the only one who is working so it’s hard,” said Raman.
Moodley, in response to the allegations, said there has been no communication between himself and the tenants and no payment agreement had been made.
“These are allegations. What they are claiming is false. The tenants there haven’t paid their rent and that is correct. We have followed the legal process, issued them with summons, and lawyers’ letters.
“When the sheriff went to do attachments, they claimed that the belongings like their furniture, was not theirs. They damaged property to say the landlord is doing this. The security went there to prevent them from causing further damage, they assaulted the guard on duty and a security company was dispatched.
“The manager deployed more guards on site. There was a vacant property that they removed kitchen fittings and built-in units from. This is a delaying tactic because they don’t want to pay rent. Just a handful of them don’t want to pay.
“I don’t know who they got to do it, but what I do know is that they broke windows and burnt the guard house. There is a case opened by the security guard for the damage and for assault.
“We are following the legal process still and they are acting in their own capacity,” said Moodley.
Perumal denied the assault allegations. “I spoke to the guard, and he opened a case. The guard house burnt down because of an engine block catching alight inside,” said Perumal.
Councillor Moulana Tariq Mohamed, who has been assisting the affected tenants, said he was in the process of reaching an amicable solution with the landlord.
“We had a meeting with police and the tenants following the protest and hope an amicable solution can be found,” said Mohamed.
Mervin Govender, founder of Phoenix Tenants and Residents Association, said: “We as an association don’t promote destruction of property. We advised them not to do so as we have a pending high court matter.
“We had an issue where the rent was increased by about R2 000 and we have been taking this up. We approached the police to assist after the (removal of) the windows and doors,” he added.