The Responsibilities Of A Tenant And A Landlord
The situation clearly demonstrates the extent greedy people would go for money.
I am sure there are many other things unscrupulous people would do for monetary gains.
In this connection, I would like to highlight the quandary that residents of SS4C in Petaling Jaya are facing over a negligent landlord and his irresponsible tenant.
The house is in an area inhabited by respectable senior residents, and I, unfortunately, am living near it. A few years ago, the owner moved to Seremban and rented out the house to a man who used it as accommodation for his foreign workers.
It looks like the owner is only interested in collecting rent while the tenant just wants to use the house for his own purposes because there has been no attempt to maintain it since it was rented out.
Over the years, the compound has been turned into a big rubbish dump infested by flies, rats, snakes and monitor lizards.
Trucks are repaired on a regular basis there, and old tyres and vehicle parts are just discarded in the compound.
The house is now in shambles and sticks out like a sore thumb in the neighbourhood.
After complaints were lodged by the residents, officers from the Petaling Jaya City Council’s health department came and issued a warning to the tenant. Following the visit, the place was cleaned up, but two months later, things regrettably returned to their previous state. There were no further checks by the authorities.
Landlords have both legal and ethical responsibilities to their property. These obligations include maintaining the structure and exterior of the property, appliances and furniture, and dealing with issues related to water and electricity supply.
Landlords should also do their part to help improve the community where their properties are located.
Meanwhile, tenants are responsible for keeping the premises clean. Most people expect a reasonable level of maintenance and cleanliness for homes in their neighbourhoods.
I am sure there is a tenancy agreement between the landlord and the tenant, and one of the clauses would allow the landlord to inspect his property on a regular basis. In this case, I have not seen the landlord visit his property in the past two years.
The authorities should compel the house owner and his tenant to adhere strictly to the conditions stipulated in the tenancy agreement. And I hope the Local Government Development Ministry will also address this problem and find a permanent solution for it.
