Renting to a Foreign National

According to TPN (Tenant Profile Network), the percentage of tenants on a foreign passport is growing at 13,5%. Landlords fear signing a lease with foreign national given the flight risk and is seen as more of a risk than South African citizens.

Myth: It is illegal to rent to a non-South African.

False - It is completely legal as long as they have a valid permit. As the agent or landlord, you need to check that the term of the lease does not extend past the expiry of the permit and this would be seen as a criminal offence to be housing an illegal foreigner.

Myth: You can vet a foreign national.

True - Your agent will be able to perform a credit check as long as they have all necessary details such as passport number, date of birth and surname. There may be times where there is very few to no previous accounts. This is the same in the case of a young professional looking to rent or a someone getting divorced whose spouse signed all their accounts. In this case, it is recommended by TPN that a double deposit is requested.

Myth: You can't take legal action against a foreign national.

False - It is the same legal process, what's more, according to TPN, a foreign national has more to lose through eviction as they may have to leave the country on top of being evicted.

Seeff Blouberg ensures all correct and required checks are performed on your behalf as a Landlord and Tenant.

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- Seeff Blouberg August Magazine