Steep hike in City rent
|Published
Steep hike in City rent. File Photo: IOL Steep hike in City rent. File Photo: IOL
Salt River tenants who rent from the City got a moerse skrik when their rent was increased from R240 to a whopping R5500.
The residents are represented by Reclaim the City, and wish to remain anonymous for fear of being evicted.
Among them is a woman who has rented from the City since 1995, reports the Cape Argus.
When she and her husband moved in, they signed a lease agreement with a rental of R220 per month.
They say the house was an “uninhabitable mess” and fixed up the property at their own expense.
Her rent was R243.81 in August when the City sent her a letter saying they are increasing her rent to R5 500 per month.
In the letter, it states that the City is reviewing all its property leases to establish its current market-related potential.
Reclaim the City’s Deena Bosch believes other City tenants are also being targeted: “The City has over 9000 houses in its rental portfolio. If you are one of these people, please approach Reclaim the City.”
Mayco Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, James Vos, said the issued needed “a comprehensive and holistic look” before he could comment.
PROCESS: James Vos
“I must find out from the officials why these properties are not managed by the Housing Department because it seems that the primary usage is housing and now it becomes a complicated process because the Property Management Department deals with leases in strict accordance with the municipal agreement.”