You have an investment property that you decide to rent out. After all, what better way to acquire an asset than to have someone else pay for it? But landlords, take heed: It takes just one tenant getting involved in illegal activities to result in your investment property being forfeited to the State! Consider this…
Lease Agreements generally follow a time-and-tested approach. Tenant likes the property; a Lease Agreement is signed; Tenant moves in; Tenant pays their rent each month. At the end of the fixed period, Tenant elects to either renew the lease, or continue on a month-to-month. Or terminate and move out. Most people are familiar with this…
South Africa is a beautifully multi-coloured, multi-cultural, multi-lingual country, comprising of people hailing from all walks of life. We certainly are a Rainbow Nation in every sense. It’s one thing to acknowledge and celebrate our eclectic melting pot. But in some cases that’s not enough. Where appropriate, and particularly in situations where justice demands it,…
I’m going to hold a disciplinary hearing to hopefully dismiss a staff member. She is demanding that I provide a Xhosa interpreter for her during the hearing. Is this really necessary? Sure, her English isn’t great but she can understand it. Yes, it is necessary. Your employee has a right to an interpreter during the…
South Africans over the last few years have seen, heard and witnessed some pretty awful stuff. The hate-fueled vitriol spewing forth from some people has indeed been mind-boggling. Sadly, it has become evident that there remain an unfortunate number of racists in South Africa – across the colour spectrum. Not that any of this is…
I’ve just been sent a screenshot of a comment that one of my employees made on Facebook. This comment is just horrible and offensive and clearly racist. It is completely the opposite of what my company stands for. Can I do anything about it? Like, dismiss her (preferably)? I don’t have any social media policy,…
Why do your employees work for you? Be honest. Is it your boundless generosity? The awesome working environment? The character-building challenge of the projects? The invaluable experience? The office manager’s sparkling personality? Donuts on a Friday? The free coffee? All of the above? Let us not sugar-coat the truth. The real reason why employees work…
I’m reasonably certain that one of my employees has been stealing from me, but I haven’t been able to catch her red-handed. I was thinking of simply firing her and sucking up the payment order from the CCMA. I’ve heard she can’t claim more than 12 months salary. I’d rather pay that than risk more…
Over the course of your life you are bound to enter into more agreements than you’d probably care to think about. These agreements may be printed or electronic, express or tacit, written or verbal. When entering into an agreement, how often do you ask, “How will this end?” Probably not often. Yet it’s an important…
I own a small property that I leased to a business just over two years ago. I sent a notice to the tenants informing them that I was terminating the lease and they would be required to move out. I actually thought I was being generous by giving them 60 days’ notice to leave. The…
