Tenant to lose goods to landlord

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 09:32:08 +0000

By Frank Nyambe

A man had his case thrown out by the Lusaka Local Court after he signed an agreement with his Landlady that allowed her to sell his household goods if he failed to pay his rental arrears.

 The court said that it would go by the signed agreement.

Seza Njobvu, 46, of John Laing compound sued his Landlady, Agnes Nyirenda, 47, a Teacher of the same compound for restitution of household goods.

Njobvu told senior court magistrate Abbyshine Michelo sitting with magistrates Mubukwanu Matakala and Esther Mulomba at Kanyama Local Court that Nyirenda was his landlord stayed for two years.

He explained that all was well when he was working but that he left the house on August 21, 2017.  He owed Nyirenda arrears of K2, 500.

Njobvu added that he wanted to pay the arrears on September 5, 2017 before vacating the house but on August 21, 2017 Nyirenda went home and evicted the children from the house and withheld households.

But in defence, Nyirenda said she stayed with Njobvu for one year and eleven months and that that during that period he was paying rentals on time but later changed.

Nyirenda said from January 2017 to June, Njobvu never paid rentals, hence accruing K2, 500 in areas.

‘’When I went to his house on August 21 I found his children packing. They said they were shifting.

“I only saw Njobvu after phoning him. We agreed that I hold his household goods until he brought the K2, 500 as agreed,’’ said Nyirenda.

Nyirenda showed the court the signed agreement as evidence.

Magistrate Michelo said though the law prohibits withholding a tenant’s property, an agreement was signed and that the court would go by it. He dismissed the case.