Worst service ever!

I rented out my two-bedroom apartment for five months (the lease was for 12 months) with the assistance of Our Home Real Estate Group (formerly traded as Just Property Alberton). In those five months, I found that their communication was very poor, with no updates to the landlord - every month I had to call to follow up on rent. I don't blame them for late payments but it's lack of communication or delayed feedback when I've enquired about something. After four months, the tenant failed to pay full rent and they advised me to let the tenant go at the end of August 2023 - so I did.

Message from Chief of Staff and Finance Manager: "It's important to note that we have observed a recurring pattern of late payments from the tenant. Given this trend and the current circumstances, we believe it might be in the best interest for all parties involved if the tenant vacates the property. It appears that there are no clear intentions on the tenant's part to settle the outstanding balance.

While we continue our efforts to recover the remaining balance, we will keep you updated on any developments that arise in this matter. Please be aware that the tenant will still be held liable for the outstanding balance and any additional costs associated with the early termination of the lease agreement."

In the remainder of the last month, I shared my levy statement with the electricity bill (7 July 2023 to 7 August 2023 of R1281.76. I was informed that this would be deducted from the damage deposit (R5500), that's what it's for. In September, when I followed up on payment - I was told that I had to wait for the outgoing inspection and wait seven business days for them to costs before they could pay. A week later I received a payment of R1090.81 and it didn't make sense to me. Long story short, I decided to part ways with Our home because there were too many inconsistencies. What they say and what they do, are two different things.

Recently, I forwarded my levy statement with an electricity bill (7 August to 7 September) of R934.44. This bill is from the time the tenant was staying at my apartment, but they refuse to comment on this. They say that the damage deposit belongs to the tenant, said the owner over the phone.

Yet the Chief of Staff and Finance manager said: "We charged the tenant the utility deposit when he moved in. We will cover those costs from the utility deposit."

I also learned that my lights, plugs and the stove don't work - a thorough outgoing inspection wasn't done. The report said they couldn't test the lights due to loadshedding. Is this even right?

They didn't both to recover the remaining balance and I had to wait a month to get a statement on how the utility deposit was spent. The owner shouted in my ear and called me problematic for asking for answers.