Cape Town – What happens behind closed doors is one thing, but leaving a rented property with all the evidence to show the oddities of your life is quite another.
We’re talking about fully-equipped sex rooms; intimate toys and nude selfies; abandoned cats and dogs (and a squatting spouse); and wait for it, voodoo objects.
The Tenant Profile Network (TPN) asked its 500 members to tell them what the weirdest items left behind by tenants were and the results indicated some shocking outcomes!
“Bonds, leases, tenants and levies. The property industry tends to be serious business, so in order to have some fun, TPN credit bureau decided to mix things up a little by deviating from the stock standard survey,” said Michelle Dickens, MD of TPN.
Top six weirdest things left by tenants:
1. Intimate toys (by far the most common weird item left behind)
2. A squatting spouse… yes, seriously
3. Sex rooms, complete with whips and chains
4. Selfies… but the nude kind
5. Pets (dogs, cats and bunnies being the most common pet left behind)
6. And finally voodoo objects, including monkey heads in jars and a decapitated parakeet
“There was the usual, and not so whacky, trash that was left for landlords and agents to mop up,” she said. “It was apparent in the survey that it is not at all uncommon for tenants to leave their rented space in a filthy state.”
“Luckily for tenants, the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popi), which was recently passed by government, ensures the protection of private information and therefore prevents parties from sharing their dirty laundry on the credit bureaus.
“Unlucky for them is that TPN can share information based on a tenant’s payment profile, and it has been repeatedly shown that a tenant who pays on time is far more likely to care for your property and investment."
At the end of the day, Dickens said, “the essence of an investment is a good tenant”.
* What weird things have your tenants left behind? Share your story with Fin24.
Now listen to Dickens on the effects of the Credit Amnesty Act on consumers.
Watch:
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