FCCC assists 252 residential and commercial tenants affected by COVID-19

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission has assisted 252 residential and commercial tenants who have been affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

221 cases were in relation to residential tenants while 31 were in relation to commercial tenants.

FCCC CEO, Joel Abraham says there was a complainant who was the sole breadwinner. He had a pay cut due to COVID-19 and as a result was unable to pay the full amount of $400 for their monthly rent.

He says a FCCC Investigating Officer then called for a mediation between the two parties and the landlord agreed to drop the rent to $300 for the next 6 months.

Abraham says these are difficult times for everyone and has urged landlords to take this into consideration and show compassion towards fellow Fijians.

He says as the first point of resolving these matters, tenants are encouraged to contact their landlords and make their request in writing to ensure that proper details pertaining to the tenancy is captured in writing.

Abraham says the FCCC recommended negotiating terms that work for both parties and they stepped in to assist with mediation if they were still having difficulty coming to a resolution on their own.