Borno flood: Landlord, tenant clash over repairs of damaged apartment
An aerial view of houses submerged by flooding and residents giving information to officials of the National Emergency Management Agency in Maiduguri…on Tuesday. Photos: AFP
A landlord and his tenant in the Modugari area of Maiduguri in Boron State on Saturday had a verbal face-off over whose responsibility it is to reconstruct the parts of the apartment that were damaged by the recent flooding which ravaged the state capital and environs.
PUNCH Online reported that the recent flooding which is currently receding, displaced millions of residents and destroyed houses and properties worth millions of Naira.
During the argument which led to verbal abuse the Landlord of the apartment, Moses Tegwolo, told our correspondent that the flood was a natural disaster while noting that tenants can not pin the damage on the landlord.
“I was affected by the flood, I am even yet to repair my side. Am I the cause of the damage?, how will he be telling me that if he repairs it, he will remove the money when next he wants to pay rentage”, the Landlord said.
He continued, “If he can’t stay, he is free to leave. Besides, I told him, let me bring a bricklayer, let them do the estimate. At most, we will just share the loss on a certain percentage. He is insisting.”
Explaining his side of the story, the tenant, Ahmed Isah, said when he rented the apartment, it was not in good shape and had spent a lot of money trying to put it together.
“When I came here a few months ago, I painted this room, fixed some broken parts on the floor, and even the window when it broke. Nothing was taken out of my rent, and now the flood has destroyed the cemented floor, walls and the house doors. I should still fix everything.
“Since he has said that he will agree to let us share the loss by percentage, no problem, they should come for the estimate. I just hope the percentage division will favour me because things are difficult now.”
PUNCH Online, however, gathered that after occupants from neighbouring apartments intervened, both parties (Landlord and tenant) later agreed on a percentage division of the total amount spent on the repairs.
