- Edna moved into the student building in March and pays R4,000 a month in rent which is paid through NSFAS.
- The student says his landlord ignored a broken roof for months while broken cameras let thieves steal his kitchen food.
A Pretoria student says bad living conditions at his accommodation have damaged his studies and cost him thousands of rands.
Edna* moved into the student residence in March. His R4,000 monthly rent is paid through NSFAS.
But his room has a leaking roof that recently destroyed his study materials.
“The rain damaged my laptop. I had to pay R1,400 to fix it after I managed to get a cheaper price,” Edna said.
He also had to replace his notebooks after the rain ruined them.
He said he complained to the landlord for months about the leak. The landlord did nothing until recently, when roofing equipment was delivered to the building. But Edna said the roof is still not fixed.
The problems do not stop at the roof. Edna said the geyser often breaks down, leaving students without hot water.
He said the building lacks security guards and the cameras do not work. This allows other students to steal food from the shared kitchen without getting caught.
“I need to spend more money on groceries as you can never say it’s enough because they steal,” he said.
Edna said many students sign bad leases because they desperately need a place to stay close to campus. He said landlords do not warn students about building problems before they move in.
The Department of Human Settlements recently is running a campaign between 6 and 16 October to teach students about their rental rights.
The department said landlords must keep rental homes in good condition. It warned that students often face unfair rental practices, illegal lockouts and broken buildings.
Students can take their landlords to the Rental Housing Tribunals for free help with maintenance problems and property damage.
