WORST AGENCY EVER!!!

I went through a divorce and needed to find a place asap to live. The place was affordable but I would not say cheap for what it was. I did not really look attentively at what not where I was going to live. I was desperate and this was the first place that came up and I had two days to move.

What a horrible experience. I did not want a one year contract because the place was not up to scratch but reluctantly agreed as it was my only option and the landlord was willing to come down in the price. Upon the entry inspection, I realized what a dump this place is and I would soon after realize how much worse this place would be.

So the kitchen window has a hole in, the walls were not properly painted and the darker paint underneath started to show. None of the windows properly closed or opened, the shower door came of it's hinges EVERY SINGLE TIME, the shower leaked and had silicone everywhere as they tried to repair leaks and it was badly done, every single wall was scew and the place was badly insullated. The bathroom had three different mismatched type of tiles and every sink, basin or cupboard was rusted and recycled. The agent marks it as not very clean. It was filthy as paint splatters were on the floor and they basically just swept.

So my parents came that weekend to bring some of my furniture and were utterly shocked. My dad's reaction was "I hope you are not planning to live here very long". The Monday we all meet the landlord as we are still busy to settle. The gate's remote did not work and the landlord was away for the whole weekend. I still suspect the agent knew about the remote as she sat infront of the gate for a long time and spoke into the intercom but DID NOT INFORM ME.

The front door was a normal door used mostly inside and it was built in with pieces of wood on the sides to make it fit. I just stood there and kept telling myself this is just temporary. The light switches were oddly placed like at the window or in the ****hest corner. Who does that? Only the kitchen light was placed at a convenient location. All the power plugs' switches were upside down and costed some getting used to.

The walls were rough and the whole place had a moldy smell to it. The place just reeked of poor workmanship and everywhere you could see how corners were cut. The walls inside were drywall and pretty scew. None of them were properly sealed where they were joined together. And only some places had scurtin. So this is it I move in and start unpacking my stuff into a kitchen that contains two steel kitchen cupboards. One white one and one old and dented one that has changed colour of age. The sink is in one and not even properly secured against the wall. The tiles were not finished behind the sink and some were just left standing against the side of the wall. I lived with these tiles the whole time even though two weeks after I moved in the landlord came and saw them when I highlighted all the problems to him and said he will have them fix it. NEVER HAPPENED!!!

We meet the landlord and his pregnant wife the Sunday night and he apologizes for the remote and says infront of everybody that the place was actually not done and he asked the agent to remove it from her listing but she never did, nevertheless he will fix all the problems as we go along. This also never happened.

The Monday my mom tries to cook while I am still at work and the power trips. The breaker is too small for a three plate stove. It took the landlord a month and a half to fix this because his so called "contractor" either can't make it or his car broke or he just didn't pitch. Regardless I make due and inform him of the shower leaking after you have closed the shower and while showering. This took 3 weeks before he fixed it just to come back because the problem still persist and the doors still slide of their hinges and probably still do to this day.

The landlord is nice but passive and his excuse everytime about the kitchen is that his wife is pregnant and he cannot afford to do it now. I moved in, in April and this was the excuse until November when I had the last straw. His empty promises delivered nothing.

Regardless of all the other minor problems that happened I was shocked to find out that my two bedroom cottage (if you can even call it that) was sharing a 150L geyser with a cottage 30 meters away. The warm water only lasted for a 10 minute shower and then it was depleted. My dad owns a plumbing business and even offered to give him a 100L solar geyser free of charge if he will give me one month's rent free and install it himself. He would even transport it 800km for him. The geyser is worth more than the rent. He refused and stuck with his argument that a 150L geyser is enough for 4 people so we should negotiate with each other our showering times. WHERE ON EARTH DO YOU EXPECT THAT FROM A TENANT?!?!

The first weekend of August after a long drought we finally had a down pour of note. It leaked so badly that at 5 am when I went to the bathroom (that by the way led through the kitchen) I was sloshing away through the water. My carpets, mats, scatter cushions, blankets, bedding, couch and everything that was or touched the floor were wet I blew my gasket just then and there. I took pictures of all the leaks and sent it to him and the agent named Taryn. It leaked down the walls, in the middle of the ceiling and there was just no way of placing a bucket to stop it. I was standing at 5 am scooping water up with a dustpan into a bucket. I informed Taryn that this is unexceptable and that I was looking for another place and was very unhappy AND that my front door couldn't lock for the past week. The landlord ofcourse after the agency phones him sends me this message "as dit is hoe jy will werk om deur die agent te ****ak dan is dit, maar so".

My mom and dad was there for the whole fiasco. What joy! That week he and his "contractor" is on the roof trying to fix it. My dad sees this is not going to end well and gets onto the roof, with his knees that can barely bend, to help him. He ends up telling them exactly how to fix the roof and where the leaks originate from.

Nonetheless, the door is not fixed and a week later I lose my job and pack my child into the car and head to my parents just to break from all the stress. Upon my return after two months I find the door fixed. The tension is there though.

I phone him in October and tell him that I want to give notice and that my cousin will be taking over the place to ensure I won't be liable for two month's rent and she will be taking all my furniture. I do not know why I was trying to be so nice after all this.

Nonetheless, I gave notice for 20 days on the 21st of November, because the place in question was soaked again after rain and mold started to form on the ceiling. Not to mention that when they finally fixed the breaker the electricity box made weird vibration sounds everytime the stove was on. I even left the man my stove and his worker my tv cupboard because it had water damage and my bed frame as it broke on the corner during the move. I had to leave my cutlery set as some of the cutlery fell behind the sink as this was NEVER fixed.

The agency then went on to want to ***** me over for over R11 000 for two month's rent, commissions and fees. I refused to pay and said I did complain to you and their response was I never did. It is not my fault that your agent did not report this and left your employment. I then took the matter to my lawyer and reported them. They are not responding to my lawyer, yet they submitted a claim against payprop for my deposit.

They are ********* and they contravened their own contract. Their contract stated that I had to report maintenance to the landlord yet he did not reasonably maintain the property or pay my damages or time but they did not want to acknowledge my compaints and yet I still have not heard anything from them. I left in a hurry just to get away from that place and the bad memories it resembled. I really hope that Only Realty will reap what they sow.