Woeful Experience With Just Property Upper Highway

My experience with Just Property Upper Highway was unfortunately characterized by poor communication, broken commitments, and a lack of support during a very stressful relocation process.

I was initially assisted by Fiona Pillay, who was friendly and helpful. At the outset, she advised me that the unit I was renting might potentially be sold, but reassured me that, should that happen, the sales process would likely take 2 to 3 months to conclude. She further indicated that she would assist me in securing alternative accommodation if required. Based on these assurances, I took occupation of the apartment at the beginning of June.

Within a month of moving in, my water supply was disconnected after a notice was slipped under my door stating that the landlord was in arrears with the municipality. It was during the course of raising this issue that I was introduced to Lara-Leigh Chapman, the office administrator. To her credit, she assisted in resolving the matter and my water was restored approximately two days after my complaint.

However, on 29 July, I received notification that the property had been sold and that I was required to vacate the apartment by the end of August. This was contrary to the assurance given by Fiona that any sale would take 2 to 3 months to conclude. More importantly, it was inconsistent with the terms of the lease agreement, which required two months' notice. After challenging the notice period, I was eventually informed that I would only need to vacate at the end of September.

During this period, I was again assured that Fiona would assist me in finding alternative accommodation. I sent her numerous properties that I had identified myself, yet she was unable to assist with any of them. The only option she proposed was a property managed by Just Property that was R1,500 per month more expensive than my existing rental and located in a building that did not appeal to me. By 15 September, despite repeated discussions and my expressing concerns about the limited time remaining, no suitable alternatives had been identified. Ultimately, I had to take matters into my own hands and, within a few days, secured a new property independently.

This placed me under considerable financial pressure, as I needed to cover the upfront costs associated with moving while relying on the understanding that my deposit would be refunded promptly following the outgoing inspection, subject to any legitimate deductions.

To assist in expediting the process, I vacated the property on 29 September and completed the outgoing inspection on the same day. The inspector advised that he had not identified any material issues with the unit but commented on the general cleanliness of the apartment. I explained that due to recurring water outages, I had only been able to sweep and tidy the property and could not adequately mop floors or wipe down surfaces as I would have preferred. The inspector acknowledged this limitation and noted that he himself had been unable to flush the toilet during the inspection due to the lack of water supply.

On 30 September, I emailed Ms Chapman to advise that the outgoing inspection had been completed.

On 1 October, at approximately 09:00, I contacted the Just Property Upper Highway office to enquire about the status of my deposit. Ms Chapman informed me that she required confirmation from maintenance and would provide feedback within two hours. That was the last direct communication I received from her.

On 6 October, having received no update, I sent a follow-up email requesting an indication of when I could expect payment of my deposit. I received no response.

On 7 October, I contacted Fiona Pillay seeking assistance. She directed me back to Ms Chapman. I then contacted the office and was informed that Ms Chapman was not available but that if I left my contact number, she would return my call. Despite doing so, I received no call back.

The most disappointing aspect of this experience has not been the sale of the property itself, but rather the recurring failures in communication, the lack of proactive assistance during my relocation, and the apparent disregard shown when trying to obtain information regarding the return of my deposit. As a tenant who consistently paid rent and cooperated throughout the process, I expected a far higher standard of service and professionalism.

Overall, my experience with Just Property Upper Highway left me feeling unsupported, inconvenienced, and frustrated during what should have been a straightforward tenancy and moving process.