Manage rental conflicts

Prospective clients inspect houses at Regina Estate in Lubowa, Wakiso District. A landlord or property manager’s role is not just about receiving tenants and ensuring payments, it also includes managing conflicts. Photo by Ismail Kezaala 

By SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA

Conflicts among tenants can sometimes lead to loss of life. However, landlords should not let issues among tenants escalate to that point. Adnan Mpuuga, the executive director of East Lands Agency, explains that these conflicts can be resolved.

Record the abuse
Mpuuga advises tenants to record misconduct by fellow tenants so that they have evidence.
“Before reporting, you must have records showing that this is not the first time it is happening. Any attempt to resolve such disputes can be done basing on those recorded cases and the accused person cannot refute what he or she did,” he says.

Keep the landlord informed
Mpuuga advises tenants to keep the landlord or property manager posted on what is going on.

Keep away from
Problematic neighbours
Musitwa says if you get a chance to know one of the neighbours is quarrelsome, you have to make sure you avoid them to keep away from trouble.

Landlords should take charge of the situation
Mpuuga says the property manager or the landlords have the responsibility to resolve the matter concerning the tenants.
The landlord has the right to ask the problematic tenant to vacate the house to allow others to have peace.

“If the property manager receives several complaints about the same person, it means something must be done immediately before the situation worsens and the property manager should be mindful while making any decisions,” he says.
Mpuuga adds that serious conflicts should be taken note of and the landlord should not leave any of these incidents unresolved because he or she may end up paying for the losses because the victim will claim that he alerted the landlord.

Listen to both sides
“Sometimes it can be hard for the property manager to handle the situation and it calls for legal action but before that, you have to first listen to both sides before making any decision,” he adds.
Mpuuga adds that it could even be that both parties have been having misunderstandings, which needs to be resolved before seeking legal advice because you may end up losing both clients.

Arrange for mediation
Sheilah Namwanje, property manager at Excel Housing and Real Estate, says the most common way to resolve disputes is arranging for mediations. This gives you the opportunity to hear from both parties before making any decision.
“Mediations are the easiest way to help tenants come to terms, especially with that one tenant who disturbs peace and violates the law, here both tenants can sign an agreement not to get into conflict again,” she says.

“After mediation, the property manager is supposed to carry out routine check-ups to make sure there is no other conflict likely to spark off and to ensure what was agreed was implemented,” she says.
Ben Musitwa, a tenant in Namugongo, says in some circumstances, it can be very hard to convince the tenants to get back in good terms but the property manager is supposed to ensure the affected tenants get back in good terms.
“If the landlord fails to resolve the issue, tenants should report it to the authorities and eventually to courts of law,” he says.

Causes of conflicts among tenants
Property care
If tenants fail to cooperate on property maintenance costs, it may cause conflict because some people are very hard to work with.
Bills
If a tenant fails to foot utility and repair bills, it may cause a dispute among them.
For instance, one tenant’s failure to contribute to utility bills, means all tenants are affected by a disconnection. The best way to avoid this is by landlord to issue a guideline on utility payment so that bills do not accumulate and lead to a disconnection.

snakirigya@ug.nationmedia.com