Shockingly unprofessional behaviour from Leo van Roy at Ooba

Our experience with Leo van Roy from Ooba Homeloans was appalling. We came into this process hopeful and excited, but Leo's conduct was dismissive, rude, and unprofessional and quite frankly, condescending and prejudiced. He was quick to request our documents and seemed eager at first. But as soon as an offer came through (which he likely assumed we wouldn’t be able to afford), he went completely silent. No guidance. No follow-up. No clarity. Just silence.

We followed up with Leo, in our conversation he eventually responded with a sarcastic comment, “Why would you even want to buy there anyway?” To say we were shocked does not beginning to describe how we felt, that was an extremely tone-deaf and disrespectful remark. A professional would have said something like, “May I offer you some advice?” and we would have welcomed it. Instead, it felt like he was talking down to us, which was completely out of line. We ended up applying directly to the banks ourselves and received better communication, more respect, and a far more positive experience than anything we got through Leo and we were approved with a much better offer. Later, when we asked for written confirmation that he wouldn’t claim commission from the bank (as requested by the banks), he simply said, “I can’t do that,” and never responded again. No follow-through. No explanation. No professionalism.

If you’re considering Ooba, do yourself a favour and avoid working with Leo van Roy. He made us feel like an inconvenience (sadly, nothing new in South Africa). If Ooba cares about its reputation, they seriously need to reassess the kind of consultants they allow to represent their brand.