What are the legal documents needed for a rental agreement?
The documents include a lease agreement, Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica) documents and any guarantor information in the case where a guarantor is involved. Your lease agreement can be any amount of pages. It is filled out with all the relevant information, including the student’s name, ID number and proof of current address. The Fica documents also include a copy of your ID and proof of current address. If there is a guarantor in that person’s Fica documents must also be provided. If the accommodation is in a complex or apartment block, a copy of the list of conduct rules needs to be given to the tenant. These lists may include rules such as hours of noise to be adhered to and parking rules.
What is the purpose of a deposit?
It is there for any breakages or problems that might have occurred during the lease period. At the end of the lease period, the landlord would also do a full inspection of the place to make sure everybody is on the same page and in agreement. If there are no breakages or problems, the deposit is returned within 14 days of termination of the lease agreement.
How soon after the deposit is paid may the student move in?
The student only has access to the place from the day of initiation of the lease agreement. If the lease agreement states the first of November, that is the day the student may move in.
Photo: Staff photographer
