Possible Eviction

I am living in a two bedroom flat. Yesterday we (there is a couple of tenants with same problem), were told that by the 19th Jan 2008 if all outstanding payments are not made we will be evicted. Anyway, the reason we are all refusing to pay is because for a few months now the money that we pay does not get deducted of our statement and we also get charged interest on all those money, yet we do not owe them that amount, and when asked where the money is, the phone gets slammed in our ear. E.g. We pay R3200.00 but only R1500.00 gets deducted. The owner refuses to listen to us, and also do not return our calls. Please is there anyone that can give us advice?

[OHlandlord]

Please clear up a few things so I can answer correctly. Let me see if I understand you correctly. You owe some money to the landlord (which is kept totalled on a statement that you receive, probably monthly). 1) Is this back money for previous unpaid rent, for utilities, or for repairs? What is this unpaid money from? How did it accumulate? Does this balance come from a court judgment the LL won, or is it just from his own accounting? (I assume the statement covers all expenses you are to pay the LL for current and previous months.)

The balance owed has interest collecting on it (so you are being charged some type of late payment penalty for not having paid this amount in full). 2) How much interest is collecting, at what rate are you being charged for this late fee? Is it a percentage of the balance, or perhaps a set amount per month? 3) Is this late fee described or included in your lease? Was this a policy that you recieved notice on after the lease was signed? (You do have a signed lease in effect, correct?)

When you pay rent for the month, the entire amount paid does not get deducted from the statement?!?! 4) Is the new month's rent still added on to the statement each month? (So the new rent is added but only a portion of your payment is deducted?) Or does the statement only track a past balance? (And ignores the current rent?) 5) Is the 3200 your rent amount for the month, or is your rent amount less than this and this payment also covers an amount to pay toward the past balance?

And finally, 6) Where is the apartment located? City? Country?