DO NOT BOOK YOUR STAY AT ANY HOMII!

Homii Manhattan Studio Apartment (357 Anton Lembede St, Durban)

All I can say is: HECTIC!

Making a booking and viewing: It is easy to make a booking on the Homii app. I contacted them via WhatsApp to request a video of the unit I was about to book. They sent a video, and I was satisfied and promptly made the booking. The generic plan shown on the app is in no way like or close to the real apartment! What you see on the app is not what you will get. I made the booking knowing what I would get, as I had seen on the video.

Check-In: I got to the entrance on the day of check-in at around 1:15 PM only to find that the clerks and admin personnel were on lunch, so I had to wait till 2 PM ON THE STEPS WITH MY LUGGAGE! There is no waiting area, so I stood right there. The staff arrived and were seemingly surprised that I was there to check in, but they eventually found my booking. I expected to receive my keys, however I did not receive them at all. For 2-3 weeks I had no keys I had to request the security or staff to open my rental with their master keys! Their reason was that they are still waiting for the key cards to be delivered, my question is you knew a tenant had made a booking why did you not make sure that the keys were readily available?

Apartment condition: As soon as I got into the unit for the first time I went to the bathroom and was greeted by a large *** in the toilet seat! The floor was not swept nor mopped before my arrival there were nail cuttings on the floor. The shower had black mould which was honestly disgusting and unpleasant. The ceiling has black mould spots and the mould in the apartment has later affected my health. The walls had traces of blood which I had to clean by myself. The grout on the floor tiles needs replacing it has stained to the point of requiring replacement it can no longer be cleaned. The stove top is rusted and is missing knobs! The edges of the granite have black mould in them. On the other hand, the kitchenette is dilapidated the doors are not aligned, the hinges are rusted, the edges of the doors are lifting, and the stove has no hood so steam damages the cupboards and makes the room extremely hot. The windows lift from the frame, and they are made of plastic and not glass. Space is also very limited you cannot even install a microwave or have a TV stand and a TV.

Plumbing: The plumbing of the apartment is horrible and clogged. Opening the water in the sink promotes sewage to rise in the shower drain and flow into the shower! It is honestly disgusting to live in a place that randomly has sewage flowing up into the shower. In my 2-month stay, it has been close to five times that I have had to shower with cold water, hot water randomly vanishes with no explanation at any time of the day. The shower is not sealed up, so the water flows out! On my last week I was gone the whole week when I came back to move out, I found the shower flooded with sewage! I notified the staff and maintenance, but nobody bothered to assist, so I had to clean it up so that I could shower. The following day I showered, and the drain was blocked – water began to overflow the shower and flood the apartment. At 9 AM I immediately notified the guy at the reception and his reply was “Since you are leaving now when you are back notify me and we will log a case for you and send the maintenance team to fix it up” I cautioned him that as we speak the apartment is flooding! He did not even bother himself, so I also left and went my way for the day. After 3 hours I came back only to find the apartment in the same state I left it in. I went to the reception to inform them that my apartment was still not sorted out. The guy said I should relax, and they would sort it out. I kept on coming back after every 2 hours and they had still not sorted out the flooded apartment. It is now evening at 6 PM I come back, and the situation is still the same I packed my staff and vacated the apartment before my checkout date. The guy who works in the reception area had knocked off and the maintenance team were drunk! So, I knew I was not going to be assisted. I had to sleep at a guesthouse! Imagine having to pack your staff that late. I packed my staff wearing a plastic on my feet! SO FROM 9 AM, NOBODY BOTHERED TO ASSIST A TENANT WHOSE APARTMENT WAS FLOODING!

Environment and infrastructure: The apartments are infested with mites and roaches! The mould is unbearable and bad! Tenants are noisy and disruptive, there are no rules and policies in place to govern tenant behaviour! Corridors reek of ******* and mould, windows are missing so air and rain just flows in. There is a lack of ventilation – Durban is a very hot place you will melt and grasp for air while in your apartment!

Lifts: The lifts are not to be trusted at all. Only two lifts work, one of which is used to transport large items. The lifts make funny noises and rattles when in use, the doors do not close properly, and some do not reach the floor you are trying to reach.

Technology: The face recognition device used at the entrance is of low quality. The camera's lens is low-definition, so it takes a long time to process or capture data—sometimes, it doesn’t even work! The door locks make a charm if left open, meaning that you cannot have your main door open. The Wi-Fi is extremely slow and as good as non-existent.

Staff: The staff is so unkind and arrogant, they are not of any help and they easily get annoyed (ALL OF THEM) they are always on their phones browsing the internet. Furthermore, the staff is so petty they want you to beg them as if you’re not there to generate income for them!

Washing room: On the adverti*****ts and app, it is said that there are washers and dryers on site, however, when I enquired about them, I was told that they are not available, and I cannot make use of them. Such advertising practices would be classified as adverti*****t dishonesty. Utilities: The app never mentioned anything regarding electricity bills, when I moved in the meter box just shut off the electricity, so I found a receipt and purchased electricity with my bank FNB (STD and Discovery cannot make electricity purchases for the vendor that Homii Manhattan makes use of). Each time I purchased electricity the bill was always in arrears which I wasn’t supposed to be billed for because they are not mine! Billing: All rental payments are made on the app using a bank card, from the 15th of every month till the last day of the month you are eligible to renew your stay. When I made my booking, I had booked an apartment amounting to 5,8K I then requested a change to a different building (STUDIO APARTMENT) which costs 4.8K per month. Initially, I believe that I am owed +- R1000 including administration fees. When I enquired about the difference I only received a vague answer!

Overview

My stay at Homii Manhattan was horrible, the building is old, the plumbing is old and blocked/clogged, and the staff is impatient and utterly lazy! Any requests and grievances are not attended to by the relevant department, and the technical amenities are of low standard and are therefore unusable, what is advertised is not what you will get. There are no rules nor code of conduct in place that govern tenant behaviour – hence the tenants make noise and behave unruly. I might take legal action against the false adverti*****t and the missing difference.

Based on my stay I Would Never Ever Recommend Staying At Any Homii In Any Province!