Estate agents have warned landlords of student digs in Grahamstown that they could be in for a nasty shock come December, as illegal electricity connections get them into trouble with authorities.
Estate agents have warned landlords of student digs in Grahamstown that they could be in for a nasty shock come December, as illegal electricity connections get them into trouble with authorities.
Manager of Remax Grahamstown, Jean Rodgerson, said students in some rented accommodation had found a way to rewire their prepaid electricity metres so they did not have to pay for electricity. It was only when the new tenants moved in that the crime was discovered – and property owners were the ones left paying the price.
While Rodgerson said the crime was not that common – she had come across tampered electricity metres only twice in seven years – the cost of it could put a serious dent in the profits from a year's rent. On one occasion, Rodgerson said, a new tenant had phoned the landlord to say the metre appeared to be stuck. When the municipality was called to fix it, technicians discovered it had been tampered with and the landlord was fined R2 900.
Rodgerson believes the tenants should be financially responsible for the damages. “The costs should be taken off the students’ deposits. In this incident the landlords refused to pay – which is right.”
Mzomhle Radu, the acting senior manager of Technical Services in the Makana Municipality, told Grocott’s Mail there was no question as to who was responsible for paying up after a meter had been jimmied.
“Every year in December students leave their accommodation and, upon inspection, we find some places are illegally connected," Radu said. "We charge the owner of the house – the registered owner of the prepaid metre.”
The owner was given until the end of that day to pay the fine – or have the property’s electricity disconnected. “Even though we check all avenues, people change their tactics,” said Radu.
HOW TO CHECK FOR TAMPERING ON A METER
An electricity metre has a yellow tag. If this is missing from the box, the meter has been opened and most probably tampered with. Tampering also triggers an alarm and the smiley face on the screen will turn into a sad face. Makana's electricity boss Mzomhle Radu appeals to property owners and tenants to report these signs of tampering.
