Poor service

I saw a unit advertised on Property24 and contacted Pieter, the listed agent. He didn’t answer my calls or texts at first, but eventually after 3 days rep**** on WhatsApp. We viewed the unit, liked it, and requested an application form.

Pieter sent us the application the following. We completed it and paid the R200 fee for the ITC check. On 25 November, I followed up the next day and he told me our application had been processed and sent to the owner. However, the owner wanted to wait the rest of the week to see if any other applications came in. According to the agent, we were the only applicants.

Today, 1 December, I tried contacting him again—no response to texts or calls. I then phoned the manager, who told me that the owner now wants them to “market the unit more,” and that we would have to wait even longer.

This puts us in a difficult position. Most agencies charge application fees, so we can’t keep applying elsewhere while one application is still pending—otherwise we risk wasting money each time. I explained this to the manager, and her response was that we should consider searching privately.

So essentially, they took our money, ran the ITC checks, provided no updates, and left us hanging—despite us being the only applicants for the unit at the time.

My advice: stay far away from this agency. They take your application fee, give you little to no communication, and make you wait unnecessarily.