Tenants and landlords: Your rights explained by a law expert
Do you understand your rights during lockdown? Attorney Megan Harrington-Johnson explains.
Megan Harrington Johnson, an attorney from HJW in Johannesburg, joins Breakfast with Martin Bester on day 46 of the national lockdown.
HJW Attorneys were recognised as one of Africa’s Leading Boutique Law Firms in 2019.
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national lockdown in March in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa.
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The lockdown has left many tenants and landlords in an uncertain position.
"This is unfortunate. You still remain liable to pay unless the person who provided the contract to you reduces the payment," Harrington-Johnson says.
"Rental tenants are still obligated to pay unless stated otherwise. The court is not going to evict the tenant until the lockdown rules are amended. Not paying rental is a contractual issue, not a lockdown offence."
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Listen to the in-depth conversation between Megan Harrington-Johnson and Martin Bester here.