Trevor Cloete, Ca-Rene Enterprises/Properties
Firstly, I wish to inform the readers that no eviction notice was served on Ann Roberts (“‘I don’t know where I am going to live,’” Tatler, August 18)
I believe that my daughter and I have been more than fair and lenient to inform Ms Roberts personally of our intention and that she was given five months as my lease agreement says that either party can give one month notice.
Ms Roberts has several sub-tenants and, in terms of our agreement, we need to consent to her having tenants and she did not adhere to this.
The monthly rental is R4 000 and increments were only implemented every second year.
This monthly amount is way below the rate for the area and also for the size of the property.
She failed to inform you that we need to pay the monthly rates, water, sewerage and refuse removal over and above the maintenance on the property and all this is approximately R1 400 a month, on average.
Whenever there was anything to be fixed at the property, it would immediately be taken care of, and I have proof on my WhatsApp of her saying to me what a wonderful landlord I am.
I also informed her in writing that she did not need to pay the rental for the month of September. It would, however, be very interesting to know what her monthly income is from her several tenants.
She also failed to inform you that she has three children, and my understanding is that they all have homes, and I think one of them has more than one property.
If my mother was in this situation, I would offer her a place to live. So she is not at all destitute, and I think this is a case of jumping on the bandwagon of a report of previous evictions in the area.
I am disappointed as this is clearly an attempt to discredit me and my daughter and wanting to play on the emotions and sympathy of the readers, and I think she should be ashamed of herself in trying to drag our good names through the mud.
It is sad that this is our point of departure after so many years.
She will be hearing from my attorney shortly.
* Ann Roberts responds:
This guy knew I was a pensioner. After my husband died, how was I supposed to pay the rent?
I can’t believe this man has been so cruel to me.
Since they’ve given me notice, my life has not been the same.
The first time they informed me that I would have to move out was a week in May, so I don’t know where this five months is coming in.
He told me I would have three months, and if I hadn’t found a place, he would give me another month.
He said in the last month I didn’t need to pay rent but he wouldn’t give me back my deposit.
As far as my kids are concerned, I don’t want to interfere in my kids’ lives.
I don’t want to badmouth my kids, but sometimes there are arguments in a house.
So then you move in and the next thing you have to move out again because of the arguments.
I don’t want this in my life. What little communication I do have with my children, I don’t want to throw that out the window.
Did he (Mr Cloete) think that I would go down to the gutter and not talk about these things? We have rights.
He promised me years ago that I could live here as long as I liked, and imagine the shock that I got when he served me notice all of a sudden.
My whole life is devastated.
Had Mr Cloete advised me in advance, say last year, that he was going to sell and that I must be ready for a notice, it would have been a different story. I would have been prepared by now and taken this notice very peacefully, but now it’s a total rush for me in a short period of time to find a place.
