Renting a House in the Bush - Looks can be Deceptive

Some of the older buildings in areas like Hoedspruit town may scare potential tenants because they may look rundown, but experts claim that branding areas as “unsafe” for living is unfair as some of the older buildings have a much more efficient maintenance and service record than some of the newer buildings.

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As the rental market in the Bushveld and country becomes more competitive, an increasing number of people are keenly reviewing the upkeep of the building they intend to live in as one of the most important factors to consider.

“There are many options to choose from. Why should I go to an older place, which may have problems right from start? At the end of the day, it’s all about safety and convenience,” said a resident of Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, who is now looking to move out of the area to town.

However, experts say that a simple glance of the building should not be the only factor to assess whether the place is safe or unsafe.

According to one source, some buildings in older areas of the city are in a much better state than others in newer locations, which may come as a surprise to many.

“You could well find a property in Old town that has a quicker, more responsive and efficient maintenance service than in some buildings in New areas such as Wildlife estates. Similarly, two identical buildings next to each other in the same area might well be receiving very different maintenance services,” he told us.

“The difference comes with the landlord and their commitment to their customers – the tenants. With this comes the ability to charge higher rentals. So, in the case of the buildings mentioned above, one charges a higher rent to deliver a better service,” he added.

According to another expert, some old buildings in Town are perfect examples how good maintenance can extend the life of a building.

“Maintenance is becoming a more and more talked about subject in Hoedspruit and surrounds. In theory, the economic life of a building should be 100-years plus. However, if the buildings are not properly maintained throughout, their life expectancy can reduce vastly,” said  the Head of Valuations from one of the leading banks.  And ABSA, Standard Bank, FNB and Nedbank feel the same.
“Good examples of this can be seen in Nelspruit and other bush type towns.  Traditionally, in markets, landlords mostly enforce the upkeep of their buildings (commercial) through the provision of a full repairing and insuring lease to their tenants or through a service charge provision for residential. Proactive maintenance also improves the financial performance of a building over time, hence tightly worded leases being the norm in mature markets,” he said.

However, many residents in general complain their landlords are not bothered about the upkeep of the apartment or home once they lease it out.

"I’ve been in this house for just six months but there are so many problems here. Right from the AC to the water motor to sewage.  It has been giving me trouble. My landlord lives in London and wouldn’t care to even reply to my e-mails. He should get me an annual contract from a maintenance company but he’s not willing to spend a single Rand,” said a resident of Raptors View, (one of the oldest  and most established freehold bush communities in Hoedspruit).

For such tenants, experts advise a through check-up of the place before a contract is signed.

“Clients should be careful and conduct due diligence no matter where or what they lease. If it is a new building, it is advisable to see who the owner is (or are in the case of owners association properties) and if they have other properties, then check how their reputation for performing maintenance stands with these other buildings. For older properties, try and speak with existing tenants - visual appearances can be very deceptive so it is always best to investigate further,” said our bush expert.

On the other hand, A. or  Residential Sales & Leasing, Expert, believes that it is not possible to instruct clients. “I do not see any reason to advise tenants to be careful. I believe it is all down to taste, budget and expectation requirements of the individual on which building they would choose,” she said.

“[Moreover], I do not know of any building deemed unsafe due to age; as long as a sound maintenance team is in place, all buildings should not be a threat for health and safety. In some developments, gyms or pools are not maintained well but that could be for many reasons, e.g., the developer is not receiving all the service charges paid, etc,” said A.

“A lot of the homes are simple structures and even pre-fabricated. Some of the older buildings even on the freehold market are showing signs of age after just 5-7 years. This is a concern as in other, more mature markets, homes over 100 years of age are very common, but the climate here is harsh and life expectancy of buildings are reduced as a result,” she added.

For those new in Hoedspruit, experts list areas with oldest buildings but rule out that they are unsafe.

“Areas such as Town, Big 5 areas etc have some of the oldest remaining properties. However, our Municipality (Theoretically) regularly checks all buildings in the area and will require an owner to repair, reinstate or renovate their properties should there be elements that are assessed to be unsafe, from the structure and items stored in emergency stairwells (in flats) all the way down to depth markings for swimming pools. If a larger, long-term commitment is being made, such as for a commercial or industrial property, then a company could be considered to provide a technical assessment of the building fabric and features prior to making a decision,” added our experts.

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