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Renting In Trinidad - Page 2

Yes and that's very unfortunate because the nice areas where maybe you dream in renting or buying someday are totally out of reach.

Trinidad Renting

I am sure many of us are wondering why is renting so difficult in Trinidad? Well to answer this question I would say Avarice (one of the seven deadly sins) and Real Estate Agents. Whenever I have to rent a place, my first question is, "the rent advertised, is this in US or TT dollars?" After viewing how shabby the place looks, I usually resist the temptation of asking "does this place come with a Jacuzzi and maid service?"

Unfortunately, Trinidadians are becoming more and more avaricious. Since there are a lot of foreigners in the country, Real Estate Agents have suggested to start charging the foreigners in US since payment would be much easier for them right? Wrong! The real reason for charging in US is the exchange rate and sometimes, we are misled to believe that having a foreigner in your apartment is better than having locals! Well this is where landlords are mistaken! People in general, may not treat your place with respect. They do whatever they want, without thinking about the consequences of their actions. In short, they simply do not care!

Since there is a great demand for places in the West, Landlords and Real Estate agents take full advantage of this by increasing the rent more than what the property is actually worth! This is what prevents and frustrates locals since they are unable to find a place where they want to live because it is unaffordable and is usually rented by foreigners.

Landlords in general, do not care about the security and comfort of their tenant. All they care about is receiving their money on a timely basis. I remember a friend of mine moved in a house last year in Trincity. She was told by the landlord that there were no water problems and the one thousand gallon water tank was there since WASA said it was mandatory to have a water tank in every household. Unfortunately, my friend learnt that water was switched off every evening at about 6pm and turned on at 6am the following day. When she tried to switch on the pump, she learnt the hard way that it was not working. When she asked the landlord about this, the landlord muttered something under her breath and reluctantly promised to install a new water pump since that one was not working properly. Five months elapsed and the landlord's promise never materialized. My friend had her family over at her place and she joked about not paying rent until the water pump was installed. Would you believe that the following day, the landlord called to ask when would it be convenient for her to come with the plumber to install the water pump! I told my friend that it was possible that the landlord knew people on the street and often kept in touch with them to know what the tenant was doing in the house. It turned out that my own suspicions relayed to my friend were right! My friend called me a month later to confirm my theory!

I have asked many real estate agents why the rent was so high. They all smiled and offered the same theory. People have more money and would like to own their own house and car. Tenants were also concerned about security and therefore, did not object to paying more. These same real estate agents also claimed that they expect the rent to depreciate very soon. One evaluator of a reputable company explained the mystery to me. He said that real estate agents are fully aware of the value for a place in certain areas but they usually encourage the landlord to ask for more since receiving more rent means a higher commission for the real estate agent!

I wish the government would pass a law stating that all places must be rented in TT Dollars only. Perhaps a body similar to RIC should be implemented by the government. The purpose of this body would be to regulate the rent and the behaviour of the landlords. If the landlords do not maintain their premises then they should have to pay a fine or it should be deducted from the rent (for example, if the kitchen sink is leaking before the tenant moves in, then the landlord should be obligated to fix it or pay a fine).

Renting In Trinidad Caribbean / Tobago & Trinidad

Look at these rental prices, yes the houses are pretty big, in good areas but are they places really worth $25,000TT/37,000TT a month?

https://www.trinidadrealtor.com/propertyinf...ropertynum=3178

https://www.trinidadrealtor.com/propertyinf...ropertynum=3024

Page 2 Trinidad Renting

I went looking for a couple places for rent - my GOODNESS! What a primative people we are in this place - I cannot believe landlords have the audacity to rent dilapidated buildings for enormous amounts of money! What is more sad is that people here will stoop to the level of vagrant and occupy these places. I guess desperation is the driving force - sad.

Trinidad Renting

They cannot do anything, they have no choice! That's the big issue. They do not "accept" the place because they want to, they just get what they can and sadly that's what mostly available unless you have big US dollars to rent the towers in Westmoorings.

Renting In Trinidad

I think it is really a matter of shady and careless landlords. I know this because I saw very descent places for rent and an equally descent price. The landlords know that places are scarce but they choose to treat people humanely, because they know that they will get people who will do two things:

1. Be happy to live where they are and thus take care of the surroundings.
2. Have tenants that are regular in their payments.

An example of how inconsiderate landlords can be... our landlords are one of the dirtiest and messiest people I have ever seen! They have their pets pooping and peeing in the yard, sometimes right at your door. They have garbage and dust all over the yard from workmen and it has been that way for months! They expect you to just accept that because they see you as being given a handout - in other words they are doing you a favor by renting to you - NOT SO! We are paying you money to live here.

Renting Trinidad - Page 2

Renting is a task 'tres formidable' in T&T because there is no overseeing body to inspect or form a united force to keep any kind of standards. People just tell you a price and you could take it or leave it! That is the extent of the transaction.
Will Trinis change? No. The many will not!

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Renting Trinidad Trinidad & Tobago / Caribbean - Page 2

Name: Maraj
Country:

Comments: People trying to rent you crap for homes is a normal thing these days. They make these places so small that not even a dog could live there and yet they want to charge rent for it. The government needs to have a standard. For instance if you are renting a place it must have certain specifications for a maximum amount of money. Zi doubt they will though because landlords probably won't bother to rent anymore.