FAQ
Property Managers:
Yes, landlords can give notice to tenants under certain conditions. Please refer to the specific terms in your rental agreement or local rental laws for detailed information.
Your lease rate is going to be determined by several market factors including the condition of the property, location, and the rental rates for competing homes in the immediate area. Unfortunately, the markets that dictate lease rates vary vastly from the markets that influence the value of properties. Please contact our office and we can discuss this with you as it relates to your specific property.
Tuza Assets uses four models for rental agreements:
Even though the purchase price may be attractive, the amount of corrections required to make it inviting to potential tenants can consume every bit of profit made available by a tenant occupying the property.
If we currently manage your property and you are looking to sell (or even if we don’t and you are looking to sell), your choice of agent is critical in ensuring you get the best price in the sale. Many of our clients live out of the area and don’t have relationships with selling agents in the area that their property is located in. Fortunately, we can help. We specialise in renting properties but have a vast referral network so that we can easily put you on to the best agent to sell your home no matter what area it is located in. Just call us and we’ll put you in touch with the right people. Our goal is to help you get the very best return on your investment and that extends to ensuring that the best possible price is achieved when you want to sell.
Our tenant selection process includes: - Basic personal details - Interview at viewing - Details of current and past addresses - Details of rental history including rental references - Personal and professional references - Identification: ID or passport - Employment details or proof of income - Last two pay slips - Employment contract
You will hear from your property manager whenever you have an issue to raise. Otherwise, you will be able to follow all the activities on/in your property through the Tuza-Assets customer Portal.
This is the best way for both sides to have full mutual trust. As Tuza Assets and the Landlord or Tenant are both covered with the law. If the landlord, apart from the living space, provides service to the tenant, then it is recommended that all these forms of service are mentioned in the rental agreement. This may include the supply of energy, water, cable television, internet services, hot water, upholstery, furniture, etc. A tenant in the social sector has the right to have these service costs assessed by the tenancy committee. The tenant in the free sector (which is the most commonly available in Rwanda) also has that right, but for this, he cannot go to the tenancy committee, but to court. (If you have an all-in contract rental agreement with Tuza Assets, we’ll represent you in that case).
In some cities like Kigali, house sharing is very popular due to the high rental prices. Houses with multiple bedrooms are then rented by a group of individuals, such as friends or colleagues. Pleasant, because it allows the rent to be shared, you can rent a big house together and you always have company. According to the City of Kigali, house sharing is deemed if a property is inhabited by more than one household. A household is a single person or 2 (adult) persons with or without children, who have a joint household conduct. If a property is occupied by 2 persons (regardless of their mutual relationship or the absence of it) it is therefore normal habitation. This is not house sharing. From 3 persons (not being parent(s) with children) it is house sharing. However, the Cities have drawn up policy rules that seriously limit this form of rental. Do you currently rent out to 3 or more home sharers and do you want to maintain that situation and legalize it through a conversion permit? Then apply for the permit. Be aware that you will then have to rent out per room, give each tenant an individual rental agreement and a separate room is guaranteed to have insufficient points to rent out in the private sector. With room rental, you are suddenly bound to the points system. Tenants can then go to the tenancy commission to lower the rent if you ask too high a rent. Do you not apply for a conversion permit, but do you rent to 3 or more people in? Then you run a risk of a high fine.
If you rent out your house or apartment, you run the risk of damage. For example, a leak can occur. This leakage may not only result in damage to your own home, but also to that of your neighbours. It is therefore important that you are well insured when you rent out your home. So check the conditions of your insurance policy in advance. For example, some insurance companies do not permit temporary letting. As a homeowner, you must ensure that your home is insured against fire or damage from outside, the building insurance. A ‘rental clause’ is often included in this insurance. This means that the building insurance policy is also valid if you rent out your house. The contents insurance is usually not valid on rental because the policy is in your own name. Therefore, transfer this contents insurance to an inventory insurance, which applies to rental.
Simple! If you currently have a property managed by another agent and for any reason would like to change over to Tuza Assets, all you have to do is find out what clause is in your contract for leaving your property management company and act accordingly, we can aid you with this by contacting them direct. If you choose to have us manage your investment property, we will organize for your tenants to be notified and for the keys to be collected from your managing agent. Everything else carries on as usual. Changing your managing agent couldn’t be easier.
We normally inspect a property prior to the check-in and 3 months before the check-out. So if you’re on a 6-month lease, you’ll likely have one inspection, and if you signed a 12-month lease with management, expect two inspections, depending on your service package. In any case, we’ll give the tenant plenty of notice advising when we’ll inspect it and give a 2-hour time frame of when we’ll enter. The tenant can choose to be there, but it’s not necessary.
If the landlord, apart from the living space, provides service to the tenant, then it is recommended that all these forms of service are mentioned in the rental agreement. This may include the supply of energy, water, cable television, internet services, hot water, upholstery, furniture, et cetera. A tenant in the social sector has the right to have these service costs assessed by the tenancy committee. The tenant in the free sector (which is the most commonly available in Rwanda) also has that right, but for this he cannot go to the tenancy committee, but to court. ( If you have an all-in contract rental agreement with Tuza Assets, we’ll represent you in that case) Only the actual costs that the landlord has, may be passed on to the tenant in the service costs. Only the home owners association costs (V.V.E. costs ) for the services the tenant actually uses, can be passed to the tenant, such as elevator costs, window cleaning, cleaning of general areas etc. The calculation method of upholstery and furnishing provided by the landlord to the tenant is as follows: first the so-called use value is appraised. Then the total amount involved is divided by 60 (= 5 years of 12 months).