BEWARE BONNINS ESTATES - DO NOT RETURN RENTAL/ELECTRICITY AND KEY DEPOSITS TO TENANTS

It is now 7 weeks since I vacated the townhouse I was staying at for three years and still Bonnins Estates are refusing to return all my deposits to me (Rental / Electricity and Key).

I moved out of the townhouse on the 01/09/20, on that day, the rental agent I have dealt with for three years expressed her concern to me that she hopes I don't have any outstanding water bills to pay as she has had a matter happen with other tenants, when they moved out it was discovered they owed thousands in water charges.

This is an interesting statement to make considering Bonnins Estates themselves manage the Municipality Bills for the landlords, every month I was sent a bill from Bonnins Estates with the amounts itemised that I needed to pay. Any claimed mistake on these bills would be an oversight and mis-managment on their part. I paid the amounts due on time in full with my monthly rental. It is also important to point out that I have never once defaulted on my rental payments, I was an excellent tenant, paying them what was required in full and on time every month.

Three years later and only after I move out, Bonnins Estates are only now implying there has been a problem with my water usage and for this reason they are withholding all my deposits with no proper explanation.

The "problem" the agent suspects is that the wrong meter has been read for the whole 3 year duration of my stay at the unit. She said that she contacted the Municipality to check into this and would get back to me, I have received absolutely no update from them on this matter. The last communication from the agent is that she "felt in her mind" there is problem with the water bills received.

The first municipality bill I received in January 2017 after moving into the unit still had the previous tenants water charges from December the previous year. The meter number is the same as the meter number on all the bills I have received since the duration of my stay so this would indicate that if there was any "problem" with the water bill as Bonnins Estates are implying, it went back much further than just my stay at the townhouse.

It is clear Bonnins Estates do not respect Tenants rights and their only interest is in looking after the Landlord. The owner himself is cc'd into all the communication with the agent however has not come forward with any explanation or acknowledgement of a mis-management on their side. They have put their problem squarely in my lap.

What is even more curious is that they haven't refunded me back my rental and key deposits whilst they try to "figure" out this imp**** water problem. They are holding all my deposits with no good reason.

I have had to get an attorney involved in this matter, a letter has been sent to them however they are still refusing to refund my deposits, the attorney will now be taking the next steps necessary to get my deposits refunded to me. Over and above this I have reported Bonnins Estates to the rental tribunal and a case has been opened against them for their ********* behavior.