Asked by the Customer on 17-04-2015 10:02:50
Question posted in the Landlord Tenant Law category relating to Gauteng

Good day, I just want some advice on what we have to do in the following situation: We are renting a workshop on a smallholding from the owner himself. We are paying R2200.00 per week that includes the rent for shop, all the tools and water & electricity. From the start the owner and his son keep sending us demands to make space for them to work in the workshop after hours and weekends. After we send him a grievance letter with regards to them coming and going and working in the shop that we pay rent for they stop informing us when they want to work in the shop. Now without informing us and without our consent they work in the shop after hours and over weekends when we are not at the shop. End of March the owner gave us notice to end the lease contract because according to him the workshop on the premises is lowering his value of the property and he has the property in the market. (But in the advert where he advertised his property he advertised a full panel shop as part of the property). Now the last few weeks since he gave us notice they are still working in the shop when we are not here and they have been damaging our stuff. First we got to work one morning and one of our client's vehicle had a huge dent in it as if someone kicked the car. This morning when we came in our radio was broken (looked as if someone punched it with a hammer of fist)the radio was still fine when we left yesterday afternoon. And the past two weekends the owner has also opened the shop for one of our ex employees without us even knowing or our consent so that the ex employee can remove his private tools but in the proses the employee took some of our tools as well. We are paying our rent on time every week and have never been late with our rent, we keep the premises tidy and in good condition, in our eyes we are good tenants and never gave them any reason to do this things to us. What should we do? I thank you in advance for your help.