By Antiguan protecting Antiguan property
Local property owners are left up to fight for their rights, even though the law provides for their protection at the same time it established, that tenants’ rights are protected in the laws that govern the Price and Consumer Division.
This failure to implement the law by engaging the rent Officer, has allowed constant losses to locals who lease out their properties to the expatriate community, especially in Antigua where white is always right.
By the time the local owner gets back the property expecting normal wear and tear they find the property reduced in value by failure to maintain it as outlined in agreements.
House owners are stuck with the repair bills, because the tenant is gone before Court Action can be commenced, (then shelved for three years in the Court Registry) only then appearing before a judge, in no hurry to sit and adjudicate. Governance in the days when we owned little or nothing, in its deliberations must have only been thinking of the small house renter seeking protection from the owner in the old days, protecting them only.
Antiguans are now for the most part house, apartments, condo, and business houses owners; even small hotel owners; one even owns the only mega hangar in the Eastern Caribbean. The time has come for Government to install the Rent Officer, with a new name with real teeth, to protect our bold and audacious property owner-entrepreneurs, who are forced to eat dirt, when their expatriate Rent & Lease clients exit their properties and leave them like this:
We have come a long way in moving from poor renters into ownership; we must pull our Government along with us, rather than allowing them to continue their unfair curtailing of the laws which protect our people’s growth, to pacify the pockets of the expatriate community, while ensuring their own self-enrichment policies.
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While I mostly agree with the article, the photos tell a different story. The owner didn’t do inspections for years based on the photos, so they invited the tenants behavior indirectly. Trust no one. Make sure that you include random inspections in your lease agreement. Most of all don’t blame others for your stupidity.
I concur : Periodic spontaneous inspection clause is invoke and, in effect; upon timely notification to clients: “is” rationally imperative, in any rental or, lease agreement; with proactive sanctioning. governmental entities -mandated to enforce speedy resolutions; pertinent to cause, and effect of property retrieval conditions.
Hey dis writer yah sounds like the owner of the biggest mega hanger in the eastern Caribbean. Always with racial connotations in their writing. Can’t say for sure but it actually doesn’t matter. The fact is this can happen to anyone and rightfully so, these pictures look like the building has been abandoned for years and neglected by the owner in that time.
I totally agree, it may not be the tenant doing the damage but once the buildings abandoned l, someone’s doing the looting and damage.
I totally agree that the tenant/landlord laws need revamping. I would even suggest public consultations. But these pictures must be that of an abandoned house. Its impossible that it was occupied in recent times. The dilapidated state of the roof and the walls speaks volume.
My Exact sentiments….this pics are of and ABANDON structure and in now way or for could have been inhabited just recently as the article is trying to imply…
This cuts both ways. Some property owners are very reluctant to conduct normal wear and tear of their properties, but stretch their hands for rent every month.
Some also raise their rents at extortionist percentages without any major repairs or instalments as the law requires. They also have friends at the Division who are more pro owner than renter. Going to the Legal Aid Department to complain is a joke. What a waste of public funds.
I agree this owner didn’t do due diligence in quarterly inspections or twice a year. The photos tell a different story
I totally agree, it may not be the tenant doing the damage but once the buildings abandoned l, someone’s doing the looting and damage.
First of all I don’t see relevance to race. We are not a society governed by racial issues as is America. Race becomes an issue because one is not confident enough in themselves; blame has to be deflected on someone or something else. So, throughout the rental duration, the landlord never visited or did their own inspection? I agree there is need for an office to oversee and adjudicate tenant/landlord situations. However, I blame the landlord for this derelict condition of their property.
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