I HAVE NOTICED on the Back Page of the SATURDAY SUN of May 29 that there will be a bill coming to control unreasonable landlords.
The first paragraph stated that Barbadians who rent houses may soon be given legal protection against gouging and unfair tactics by landlords.
I have absolutely no problem with this protection; but the process and the length of time it takes to recoup losses, through the legal system, from some unreasonable tenants makes it not worthwhile.
Some come with hard-luck stories, and make them sound so genuine, that you rent them for a few weeks or months after they start to owe you; and when you ask later about the rent, sometimes you are threatened.
Even in cases where the landlord is very reasonable, the tenant still runs up the rent into hundreds or thousands of dollars. If they find it so hard to pay the first month or two, it becomes even harder as the months go by.
When you do give them notice, four weeks legally, they still stay as long as they wish, because they know the length of time it takes to get the case called in court.
So, they leave when they wish: sometimes late at night, especially if you do not live nearby. Plus, they leave the premises in an unsightly condition, which you the landlord have to clean up at your own expense.
CLAIRE SMALL-WARNER
