Avoid at All Costs – Dishonest Agent and Unfulfilled Promises

I rented a property at 226 Ramona Street, Erasmuskloof, Pretoria through Dewald De Lange, initially trading as *Independent Advisors*, who later changed the business name to *Prop Bureau*. From the very beginning, the experience was a complete nightmare.

When I first viewed the property, I raised several concerns: the carpets were filthy and rotten, a toilet was broken, bathroom tiles were cracked, and tile edging was damaged. Dewald assured me that these issues would all be fixed before I moved in — the carpets would be replaced, the bathroom retiled, and everything cleaned. None of this was done.

On the day of moving in, the previous tenant hadn’t even fully vacated the house, which was left in a disgusting state. The backyard was filthy, the garages were filled with building rubble, and not a single promised repair or cleaning task had been completed. Despite repeatedly contacting Dewald (many emails went unanswered), I ended up living in these substandard conditions for nearly a year, clinging to empty promises.

Basic things, such as lighting, were also neglected — some fittings were broken or had only one or two globes. I replaced most of the fittings and globes myself at my own cost. Dewald told me to keep the invoices, and he would reimburse me. However, this never occurred.

To make matters worse, when a contractor came to install a borehole pump, they left a tap open to a dysfunctional irrigation system, resulting in a Tshwane water bill of over R20,000. Dewald initially blamed me, then shifted the blame to the electrician. Either way, I was left footing the bill.

When I finally gave notice — after a long battle — we agreed I would serve a two-month notice period, which I honoured. Dewald promised to refund my deposit in full within 14 days. Surprise — he didn’t. Instead, I received a long WhatsApp message full of excuses.

To this day, none of my repair-related invoices — covering lighting, irrigation fittings, sprayers, and rubble removal — have been honoured, and my deposit was also not paid back.

Dewald De Lange, in my honest opinion, is not a man of integrity. He says what you want to hear to get you into a lease, then vanishes when issues arise. His promises are empty, and his accountability is non-existent. If you're considering renting a property through him or Prop Bureau — **think twice**. You may end up stuck in a badly maintained property with no support and no recourse.