Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March/April 2020 | Page 30

MANAGING
How to resolve tenant-landlord
disputes over utility bills
M
ost South Africans are now familiar with the
Consumer Protection Act, and while they may
not be overtly aware that local policy is moving
towards the overarching aim of regulating for the consumer,
most tenants know that rental law is weighted in their
favour. However, when it comes to electricity bill disputes
between tenants and landlords, the rights and recourses
open to consumers still remain a little opaque. Citiq Prepaid
managing director, Michael Franze, looks at how prepaid
metering can work for the consumer and help to quickly
resolve unfair utility overbilling.
Disputes regarding utility payments are one of the biggest
causes of conflict between tenants and landlords, but nothing
ends an argument faster than the indisputable evidence.
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MARCH/APRIL 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine