MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  For people moving to the Mossel Bay area, finding affordable housing is becoming more and more difficult.

The prices of properties have skyrocketed and after a decade-long economic recession, followed by the devastating financial effects of the Covid pandemic, people who previously could buy a house, have to rent now.

With hundreds of newcomers to the area every month, affordable, quality rental properties where children and pets are allowed, are hard to find.

This scenario is getting bleaker, with reports of homeowners and leasing agents who are unprofessional and unscrupulous in their conduct.

Joy Rutenburg, who is allegedly being coerced to evacuate a property although she claims to have paid a deposit. She told Mossel Bay Advertiser she was only a couple of days behind with her rental payment when this started.

She obtained an affidavit from her employer noting that the rent will be paid, but the owner of the house has since cut the electricity and broken down the motor gate and security gate at the front door. The homeowner also sent Rutenburg notices to vacate the property, but Rutenberg said: "As he is not the leasing agent I signed the contract with, he does not have the right to do this and take the law into his own hands."

Rutenburg says the landlord forced his way into the house on Friday night, 14 October, when her 83-year-old relative was alone at home.

His hand was injured badly when he was pushed back during the altercation. Rutenberg called the police and on Sunday, 16 October went to the Mossel Bay Police Station and laid a complaint of criminal injuria, breaking and entering, assault of an elderly man and entering by force, as she could not bear what she experiences as harassment and bullying any longer.

The case will be heard on 1 December at the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court. She received legal aid on Tuesday, 18 October, but by the time of going to print the power has not been restored yet. In a further development this week, the house is now on the market to be sold.

Rutenberg said she is shocked to the core that this kind of behaviour is tolerated. "This man is telling people that he has many friends in this town, is connected and can do whatever he likes." Rutenberg, who is living with her 83-year-old relative, says she has been shouted at, verbally abused via WhatsApp messages and was threatened in person on the property when she filmed the man breaking down the motor gate.

Rutenberg says: "Never in my life have I experienced such uncouth and barbaric behaviour. Being new to this town, we are treated like a scourge; it's completely disrespectful. The attitude is: 'How dare you challenge the landlords?'

"They tell you what they will fix, when it suits them, in their time, regardless of what is said in the lease, which is signed and documented. They will tell you it doesn't matter who you call, nobody will help you because they have friends in this town. We are completely harassed by these landlords, who have 'beer' properties, but want 'champagne' rent."

Complaints from various tenants

Previous tenants who rented the flat at the back of the same property for nine years, said they moved out six months after the house was sold to the landlord in question. "This guy did strange things, like cutting his hair on the stoep of the main house. He will be friendly on one occasion and extremely abusive and aggressive the next.

"We moved out for our own safety and sanity."

Another tenant who rented the house before Rutenberg, asked the homeowner to "not speak to people like that". Allegedly, a finger was pushed in his face and he was told that he and his family would be put out of the house if he did not "shut up".

Advertiser spoke to rental agents, who expressed their concern about the destructive behaviour and bad image this created for the industry in general. "I had somebody in my office this morning, who is renting from this landlord. This family is also planning to move out as soon as they can find another place," one of them said

"This person is giving developers and landlords a bad name in the Mossel Bay area. People should be warned against him," he said. Mossel Bay Advertiser has approached the homeowner in this regard. He indicated that it is a matter between him and the complainant and denied any wrongdoing.

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