A tenant's response when the landlord went to collect his rent from her has left him shocked and surprised. According to the landlord, last month he went to his premises to collect two months' rent from a tenant and she told him that she had already paid the rent.

When he asked her for the receipt, the landlord said she responded that he said he would give it to her the next week.

"This tenant wants to rob me of $60,000 and I cannot understand why she is acting so dishonest," the landlord said.

"She has been living at the premises for two years and the rent is $25,000 per month and I have not increased the rent since she has been living there. When I went to collect the rent in June, she said it was not ready and I should come back the next week. I returned and did not see her.

"I decided that I would just wait until the July rent was due and then collect them from her. When I went the first week in August to collect two months' rent, she said she had already paid me from the week before. I asked her how that was possible when I did not come to the premises at that time. She said it was not her business and all I had to do was to give her receipts.

"I looked at her and asked her why she wanted to rob me of my rent when she was always paying late and I at no time pressured her. She only responded that I must give her the receipts. I reminded her that whenever I collected rent from her, I gave her the receipt.

Extremely shocked

"There is never a time when I collect rent that I do not give her the receipt immediately. I always walk with the rent receipt book when I go to collect rent from all my tenants. I think she is trying to trick me because she has been involved in quarrels with other tenants on the premises and I gave her three months' notice to leave the premises.

I am extremely shocked and surprised by this tenant's behaviour because I did not expect her to behave in this fashion.

"I went back several times for the rent, but each time she says she is not paying me because she gave me the money already. I cannot allow her to rob me of my money because I worked very hard to buy the property. I am thinking of taking her to court because of the way she is trying to trick me out of my money.

One of my relatives is saying that I will have to get a witness to testify in court that she did not pay the money, but I don't have a witness.

The fact that you do not have a witness to testify on your behalf does not prevent you from suing the tenant for your rent. The resident magistrate will listen to both sides and make a determination as to who is speaking the truth.