Cancelled 2 signed contracts and false Advertising

Alta (one of the agents at CS Properties) advertised a furnished rental in Langebaan, South Africa. The add provided pictures of the place with bedding, towels, and all the furniture, which seemed attractive.

We could not view the place as we are situated far away, but trusted the ad as it was an agency and all looked in order according to the ad details, and Alta agreed we could rent the place without seeing it.

We got in contact with the agent in Sept 2017 to take the place, all went well and we signed to move in the 1st of Nov 2017. A day after the contract was signed, the agent cancelled as she did not bother to ensure the starting date was agreed upon with the owner who wanted someone to take the place ASAP. Therefore, she included the wrong dates on the contract.

In Oct 2017, the place remained available, and we once again signed a contract with Alta. We then found another ad with the same property that for rent by the owner. We called and got through to the owner's secretary who was very helpful and gave us all the details. She informed us there is no washing machine and bedding and towels are excluded.

At the same time, Alta was sending us emails and telling us we have to pay the deposit of R9,900 before 12:00 the next day. However, she couldn't bother giving us the information about the bedding and washing machine (after asking her to get info about it).

I sent her an email saying the owner's secretary has agreed i can view the place before transferring the deposit, and told Alta I'll drive through the following weekend. Instead of agreeing or coming up with another suggestion, she called only to start a fight about the information i received from the secretary, and telling me i should have asked what's included when she said the place is furnished (without details about what's not included) . The conversation ended in her once again cancelling a signed contract.

My experience with the rental agency was extremely unpleasant as Alta did not provide the right information from the very beginning on the ad that was placed. I would have completely understood if those conditions were listed on the advert as I wouldn't have bothered contacting the agent as it doesn't meet my requirements.

If you're dealing with Alta from CS Properties, be careful as it seems as if she's only interested in her commission, and doesn't bother providing assistance or information to the clients who contact her. The contract the sent through also didn't include any details about what included and what isn't.