Rising rentals squeeze Bulawayo families

Rising rentals in Bulawayo are forcing some families to cut back on food and other basic necessities, even as they continue to live in houses they describe as poorly maintained.

Tenants in suburbs including Parklands, Pumula, Cowdray Park and Nketa say rental increases have outpaced their incomes, leaving them struggling to cover essentials such as groceries, school fees and transport.

Tinotenda Hove, a Parklands resident, said he pays US$180 per month for a three-roomed apartment.

"I used to manage my rent and still have enough money left for food, school fees and transport, but now almost everything I earn is going towards paying for accommodation," he said.

Hove said the apartment is old and the ceilings leak when it rains.

"Each time the landlord increases the rent, it goes up, but my salary stays the same. We are now buying less food and cutting other basic needs just so we do not fall behind and get asked to leave," he added.

In Pumula, Lindiwe Ncube said her family has had to share their rented house with relatives to cope with escalating costs.

"Rentals have gone up so much that one family can no longer afford to stay alone," she said. "The house is overcrowded, the walls have cracks, and the bathroom sometimes floods. The roof leaks when it rains, and the children do not have privacy. Even though the house is in this condition, the rent keeps going up."

Xolani Dube, a tenant in Cowdray Park, said maintenance problems are common in the area.

"We often deal with broken taps and blocked drains. At the same time, food prices, transport and school fees are also going up. Many families are afraid of being evicted because they cannot keep up with the rising rent," he said.

Michael Nyathi from Nketa described what he called a widening gap between rental charges and the state of properties.

"The houses are old and not properly looked after. Pipes break down, taps do not work, and we sometimes have to fetch water outside. The walls are cracked and the ceilings leak, but landlords still increase the rent," he said.

Landlords, however, argue that they too are facing mounting costs. One Cowdray Park landlord, who requested anonymity, said rising prices of building materials and labour have made property maintenance more expensive.

"We try to keep rents fair, but sometimes we have no choice but to raise them so we can cover repairs and other expenses," he said. "We do understand that families are struggling, and we try to discuss issues with tenants whenever possible."

Another landlord in Parklands said some tenants damage properties and expect owners to shoulder all repair costs.

"Some tenants do not take care of the house. They break taps, doors or windows and then expect us to repair everything. With the cost of materials and paying workers rising all the time, sometimes we have no choice but to increase the rent," he said.

Desire Dube, Business Development Director at John Pocock & Company, said rental adjustments are largely guided by the terms of the lease agreement signed between landlord and tenant.

"The aspect of rental increment varies on a number of aspects and the first thing that guides that is the nature of the lease that the tenant has signed," he said.

He explained that in many residential agreements, tenants are responsible for minor internal repairs arising from daily use.

"If a tap is leaking, it is due to the opening and closing of the tap from the tenant. If the socket is burnt, it is due to the operations of the tenant," he said.

However, he added that landlords are generally expected to handle major structural issues beyond a tenant's control, such as leaking roofs or external repairs.

"The landlord is responsible for repairing the outside and major structural issues on the houses, like maybe the roof is now leaking or the roof has been blown off by wind, and the outside painting of the house," he said.

As rental costs continue to rise, many families in Bulawayo say they are left with difficult choices between paying for accommodation and meeting other basic household needs.