RESIDENTS living in Glenwood and Umbilo have been urged to assist the Bulwer Safety and Urban Regeneration Forum (BSURF) and Umbilo Community Police Forum (CPF) by reporting abandoned or vacant properties near their homes.
Speaking to Berea Mail, chairperson of both the CPF and BSURF, Heather Roos, said the CPF together with SAPS and other role players are looking into tackling the landlords of what she called ‘problematic buildings’ where landlords allow tenants to disrupt neighbourhoods without taking action.
Roos said the forums were compiling a list of buildings. “There are a number of these problematic buildings in the community, and one of the biggest issues is that many of the landlords of these problematic buildings know their buildings are causing issues in the community, but they do not care as long as they are getting their rental out of their tenants each month. Their attitudes when we have contacted some are that it’s not their responsibility and the police must deal with the problems, which we feel is nonsense. The police are not responsible to babysit unruly tenants. Landlords should be working with the communities to get rid of tenants that are a nightmare for other residents in the community,” she said.
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She said most of the landlords of the problematic buildings did not stay in the community or even nearby. One such building, among the many number of complaints the Umbilo CPF and BSURF are currently dealing with, is in York Avenue. She said the forums had spoken to the managing agent to try arrange a meeting to discuss the problems of the tenants in this building with the landlord.
Resident and BSURF member, Ginger Subramoney, said: “There is continuous loud music, shouting and whistling out of flats, entertaining of visitors in the road where music blares out regardless of time, people drink on the road leaving a huge mess and broken bottles out on the pavement and road. Both SAPS and Metro Police have been called to this block a number of times.”
Now the Umbilo SAPS station commander has put together a multi-disciplinary task team with eThekwini and Metro Police to deal with this issue in the community.
Properties purchased for student accommodation are also a concern. “We are talking about buildings not affiliated to the universities. As has been seen following an incident in Chestnut Road this past week, where a resident’s property was flooded with raw, stinking sewage for more than a week, that the infrastructure in the area cannot handle the influx of student residences.
“Greedy landlords are buying single properties and either converting to house students, or knocking them down to build flatlets. Our sewerage and drainage system is overloaded already,” she said, adding that it shouldn’t be so easy for these people to buy properties and do this.”
Managing agent responds
Managing agent of the building in York Avenue, Ballito Property Management, did confirm to the Berea Mail that the landlord had been informed of the issues at the building, although they couldn’t be sure the tenants of the block were the ones causing the ruckus.
Speaking on behalf of the agency, Priya Sibsurun said the CPF and police had been given permission to act if it was as bad as they had said, and that police could go onto the common property such as stairs or garden if they felt action needed to be taken.
Contact the CPF regarding these buildings
Roos has asked residents who have an abandoned building next to them or in their road to WhatsApp her mentioning:
* The exact address of the property
*How long it has been standing vacant
*Landlords’ details and phone number if possible.
WhatsApp Heather on 062 267 6535.
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