5 Common Tricks that Landlords Use to Steal From Unsuspecting Tenants @KenyanTraffic

Tenants – landlord relationship is never known to be blissful. It is usually an icy union filled with trickery and suspicion. Sometimes it turns quite nasty like the case of a tenant who beat up his landlord when he knocked on his door at midnight demanding rent . In  estates around the country you will hear of mounting concerns on unexplained fees charged landlords. 

Security Fees

This is a big one. In some estates, especially gated ones, guards are instructed not to open the gates for tenants how have have delayed in paying their security fees for the month. It it well understood that these funds should be used to pay security guards. However landlords are reported not to pay the guards for months one end despite collecting the money, others throw peanuts to the guards with the rest of the funds being channelled into their pockets.

Garbage Fees

Landlords make a killing in distributing trash bags.  Not to mention exorbitant profits from waste collection.

Another trick landlords using use asking new tenants to pay higher prices for garbage collection as compared to prices offered to older tenants.

Rent deposits

Many tenants in major cities and towns contiue suffered at the hands of rogue caretakers and landlords.

While most landlords demand payment of one or two months rent as a deposit once a new tenant moves in, many tenants end up never being refunded rent deposits at all or are given meagre amounts despite prior agreements. A common complaint was that home improvements made by the landlord after the tenant vacated were cited in slashing huge amounts from expected refunds. It is also quite common foer many caretakers and landlords to melt into thin air when tenants seek the refund causing many people to give up.

Prepaid Power Tokens

Landlords have access to meter boxes especialy those located outside the house. Some are known switched wires between meters. You’ll only discover later that you tokens are diminishing at a faster  than your internet bundles yet you don’t have a factory in your house.

Water Bills

Many plots have a central meter then submeters or none at all. This is usally a a perfect cash cow for unscruplous landlords. Water bills are mostly irregular even when you know your water usage has not changed. some tenants have been slapped with hefty bills on return from a month-long holiday or travel yet they left their house under lock and key.

Some caretakers tampered meters which is a crime  and can leads to heavy penalties that are eventually passed down to the tenants. Also Read  4 types of landlords in kenya