1 reviews | Active since Jun 2019
******* termination of power supply
Friday the 12th of July the electricity in my apartment got switched off without any notice. I am renting out an apartment in Isipingo beach in Durban through Trafalgar. According to Justice the supervisor he was sent by the owner of the building to turn off the electricity reason being i was behind on rent for an amount of close to R1739.78 which i was not aware of, and had not received any communication from Trafalgar advising of the outstanding balance or total rental for that month or to even advise that this is the action that they are planning to take. I left for work Friday morning when i got home there was no electricity. No note in the post no note under my door telling me why. The following day(Saturday 13th), the supervisor came and i asked why this had happened he told me the amount i was owing and then said to me that he is not hired by Trafalgar but by the owner of the building and the owner has asked him to switch my lights off. I'm upset because i was not told that this was going to happen, and i was not able to make any plans or arrangements for my food in the fridge and dinner to be cooked and my phone to be charged and other things like that. The worst part is that this happened on a friday Trafalgar is closed on the weekend, i couldn't do anything about it until now which means the entire weekend without electricity and my food has spoiled. So this morning i have now spoken to an agent at Trafalgar, they are unaware that my lights have been disconnected. Her response was that i need to speak to Justice the supervisor as she is only a letting agent. Like *** is that? If i made an agreement with Trafalgar is Trafalgar then not responsible? I pay my rent to them i signed my lease with them i paid my deposit to them not the owner. I have never met the owner. How is it that Trafalgar can do nothing about it? Where in my lease does it state that the owner can come and do as he pleases?? Regardless of who is owing what, how is this fair? The Rental Housing Act is specific about this. Regulation 12 of the unfair practice regulations to the Rental Housing Act provides that a landlord who is obligated by law or terms of the lease agreement to provide electricity to a tenant must provide that service and must not cause the supply thereof to be interrupted or cut off to the dwelling without a court order. In other words, a landlord may not disconnect the power supply to his own property in order to force a tenant to either pay the rental arrears or to vacate the property. So according to this act this guy is *******ly forcing me to pay by turning off my electricity. Yet there are people in the same building owing R12000 rent for a unit that costs R4000, i on the other hand am owing R1739.78 for the month that we are in and the judgment is the same. I think that is unfair. What does one do in this situation? Do i take Trafalgar to court or what?
Below feedback from our Durban branch
- The owners of Plaza instructed their building manager, who is not employed by Trafalgar, to disconnect the electricity supply.
- This was not an instruction given by Trafalgar.
- The first thing Trafalgar knew about this is when the tenant contacted us this morning via email. She requested a breakdown of her arrears and we have promised her a recon of her account before close of business today.
- Trafalgar acts on behalf of the landlord as far as leasing and rent collection are concerned. Even though the lease is a Trafalgar lease, the parties to that agreement are the landlord and the tenant.
Kind regards
Karien Coetzee
National Property Management Consultant
***
Below feedback from our Durban branch
- The owners of Plaza instructed their building manager, who is not employed by Trafalgar, to disconnect the electricity supply.
- This was not an instruction given by Trafalgar.
- The first thing Trafalgar knew about this is when the tenant contacted us this morning via email. She requested a breakdown of her arrears and we have promised her a recon of her account before close of business today.
- Trafalgar acts on behalf of the landlord as far as leasing and rent collection are concerned. Even though the lease is a Trafalgar lease, the parties to that agreement are the landlord and the tenant.
Kind regards
Karien Coetzee
National Property Management Consultant
***
I had not received any communication from Trafalgar over the outstanding amount. I am laying a complaint with the Rental Housing Tribunal regarding this.
I had not received any communication from Trafalgar over the outstanding amount. I am laying a complaint with the Rental Housing Tribunal regarding this.
