Training for municipal officials on the Rental Housing Amendment Act (Act 35 of 2014)

The Rental Housing Amendment Act (Act 35 of 2014) came into effect to amend the Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999. The amendments, amongst others, seek to re-establish the relationship between landlords and tenants by ensuring that a lease agreement is signed by both parties.

The Act aims to set out the respective rights of the tenant and landlord thus ensuring that both parties are duly protected. CMRA seeks to prepare municipal officials for the time when the Act becomes fully operational. To ensure a smooth transition, officials should be familiar with all the requirements of the Act such as establishing information offices where citizens can receive information regarding lease agreements, the function of the Rental Housing Tribunal and the options they have in the case of conflict.

The project will develop a training manual to be used to train housing municipal officials in six provinces, namely Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape and collect best practices that will be used to shape future initiatives.