JUST LETTING -Letting me down terribly.

Just Letting Advertised a home for rent. On Tuesday 25 August i/we viewed it. When viewing, we liked the house and asked to immediately start the process to secure the rental. I also asked about the municipal costs and was assured that although the services are to be paid, not the rates or taxes. I asked for the services estimate and the agent agreed to provide them for me. I also informed the agent why we are leaving where we currently are: the current owner expects a 33% increase in rent to continue where we are and that although we did have an agreement to pay half rent during lock down, that we have got an arrangement to settle the full balance with our existing land lord, and because of that, could the agent ask if the new owner would consider a 10% discount if we paid our rent upfront for the year, which would then give us the extra we needed to settle our existing agreed upon outstanding amount with the current landlord. We did the application. When I filled in the application, as I had been assured, verbally that the rates and taxes were not part of the expenses, I neglected to notice that 'taxes' was in fact mentioned in the application. We did the application 2 days after viewing the house, when the agent had it ready for us. She still had not provided me with the actual costs or estimates for the services and I asked again. On Monday 30 August, we were notified by the agent that our application was approved and she would prepare the lease. I again asked for the services expected costs as she hadn't confirmed them still and she said she'd get them for me. I immediately notified my existing landlord to provide the required notice period, that we had another home to go to. 2 days later on the Wednesday, I got a call from the agent saying they aren't giving us the contract as we are behind with our current landlord. For a week I provided them with proof from the existing landlord that although we are due half our rent since the lock down began, that it is in agreement with them. but each time I had to find out from them what was happening to work through objections they were interjecting. I eventually had to call the manager of the branch and get him involved and said, I'm the hire'r, if you have questions please ask me as I have everything on record and proof you are looking for. I asked why they were considering an outside event of my finances when my financial application is already approved and they never gave me a reason. finally on the 9 Sept, 10 days after our original application approval, we got the approval re-instated and the agent offered to send us the contract. I still didn't have the information on the services bill expectation, so i asked again for the agent to provide me with that. Later that day, she sent it to me and the Taxes were included in the billing history. When I asked about it, she said, yes the taxes are included. Also, the contract terms had changed from a 12 month contract, to a 6 month only contract and instead of 1 months rent as a deposit, suddenly it was 2 months deposit upfront. I was told however that, renewal of the contract in 6 months time would not incur the contract fee of R790 again, yet when I looked at the contract, the fee was insisted upon again. I requested it be taken out the contract as I was informed it wouldn't be there and that please could they appeal to the owner about the rates bill, and requested the agent request from the owner to wave that tax in light of it being, firstly unusual, and secondly not what we were told in the first place. She objected but eventually agreed to ask the owner. I asked to speak to the owner, the agent refused which I understand. I asked if the communication with the owner could at least be shown to me in that case, I didn't say this but it was because I was not convinced that the agent was being transparent and upfront. By Saturday, i'd not heard from the agent, eventually she got back to me and said she would do her admin and have the contract ready for me that afternoon. I never heard from her. On Sunday 13 September I opened my mails to see a message from the agent that the owner has said they now don't want to give us the contract. I contacted the agent to ask her to appeal to the owner as there is testament from my previous 5 years, in the house I am in currently, from both the agent we dealt with here as well as the owner that we are not difficult tenants, but that it has been a difficult application. She refused to go back to the owner. I then asked for her to provide me with the owners communication, and she refused to provide that communication, saying "I said, (the Agent) in the e-mail, what their reply was." I sent her a message telling her I'd find the owner to ask myself, that I intend to report my grievance to the Just Letting Head office ad her agency, that I would post my review on this site and that i'll be speaking to the estate agents board if needed and the tribunal. The agent has not yet responded to my message.

I was misinformed on 2 occasions that which was actually to be in the contract. If I had not double checked the information, I would have been bound. When I inquired or queried, I was resisted and even set aside for them to say, 'but it's in the contract, it doesn't matter what you were told if you didn't check the application or contract' Then when i checked and queries I was told that I'm being difficult and the owner doesn't want a difficult tenant? I was delayed because the agency considered an outside the application situation regarding my agreement with the existing landlord, which in no way is relevant or effecting my application which was approved. I was denied information I requested from the agent from the first meeting for just over 2 weeks about the expected services expenses and then it included a few the agent said was not included initially. When I inquired, about anything I was either denied the information or delayed in getting the information. I'm not renting a house, we are leaving one home to move to another which is in the first case, very emotional and potentially stressful. The agent and her agency, don't seem to care about tenant, only themselves and the owner in the transaction which is most stressful for the applicant and tenant in the most difficult position in the transaction. I don't know if the agent and agency is honest in their dealings on this as they have refused me any interaction with the owner as well as to be shown on see any of their interactions with the owner. - to then suddenly, cut me off and leave me without a new home to go to, 3 weeks after first starting the transaction and 2 weeks after I had already given notice where I am after they approved my application, has been a most unpleasant and stressful experience with Just Letting, the agency here in George and the Agent involved. SANET ZEMAN.