Awaiting your deposit

What to know when your landlord has your deposit and has failed to pay it out

You have viewed the new property and secured it by paying the correct deposit amount to the landlord. With the transition into your new space being as breezy as it was, no red flags were raised as to how your landlord could trick you going forward. How do you approach a situation where your landlord won’t pay you back your deposit after you move out?

Firstly, a pre- and post-occupation inspection of the rental space must be completed before and after the tenant moves in. This inspection is the landlord's responsibility and if he or she does not conduct the said inspection, they are then unable to claim against the tenant upon the lease expiration. The Rental Housing Act states that the tenant has the right not to have their home or property searched by the landlord, and thus, the landlord must give reasonable notice for inspection 3 days before the lease ends.

Regarding deposits, section 5 of the RHA states that, should there be damages incurred by the tenant under the said lease needing repair after the post-occupation inspection, the landlord must refund the remaining deposit amount, if any, to the tenant within 14 days. In the case where no claims for damages have been made by the landlord, and the tenant is debt free in terms of charges and rent, the deposit must be refunded within seven days following the lease expiration. A tenant who refuses to take part in the inspection process, and damages have been found, is liable to receive their remaining deposit 21 days from the expiration of the lease.

If a landlord refuses or has failed to refund the tenant their deposit, the tenant may approach the Rental Housing Tribunal.

References<

Rental Housing Act No. 50 of 1999. (2017). [PDF] Cape Town: Republic of South Africa, pp.6-7. Available at: https://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/a50-99.pdf [Accessed 20 Nov. 2017].