Your deposit will be used for repair work they've been avoiding before you moved in!

I moved into a Pulse Property building January 2019. I am going to detail a chain of events that took place from the day I moved in until my deposit was paid back;

When I moved in the flat wasn't prepared for my occupation but I noted all the damages and issues I found and sent the Pulse employee assisting me, Nthabiseng Motshabi, an email detailing all the faults I found there. The walls were marked/dirty, the cupboards and windows were dirty, to name but a few. I complained about the cupboard and every other thing and she said it was all noted. She sent someone to clean the cupboards and the person just wiped the dust and said the cupboards have been cleaned. I emailed her that the cupboards weren't cleaned thoroughly but I will clean them myself. She said the windows are cleaned during the year but the windows were never cleaned for the duration that I was there. Now I have to tell you that Pulse like using cheap service providers to do their maintenance etc. One day in May I went away for a weekend and when I came back I found that the tiles cracked open. Nthabiseng assured me not to worry because they're experiencing the same issue in most of the other buildings they own. We arranged for the entire place to be retiled as the tiles kept cracking open randomly.

I also have to tell you that Nthabiseng's service and the urgency at which she dealt with maintenance issues I encountered was always prompt and satisfactory. In November 2019 I sent my notice to vacate and things went smoothly. I was informed that my deposit will be paid back within 14 working days and on the 21st January 2020 I received R1377 into my bank account from Pulse (my deposit was R3950). When I queried it Nthabiseng sent me an invoice of the work done after I vacated the place and highlighted that I was charged a portion 77% of the repainting fee as I left marks on the wall (and I should be glad I wasn't charged the entire painting fee). She went on to say there's no way they could rent me a dirty flat and she also wonder who would agree to occupy a dirty/unprepared flat.

After going back and forth on the emails with her, I defended my case and resent her all the emails I sent her when I occupied the flat and noted all the issues I had with the flat. She did not even apologise she just said she will forward my query to the refund department. I also accepted my part in dirtying the kitchen walls and we agreed that the painting company will work out how much of the painting costs I have to be charged, which was R1000 and I was refunded the rest of my deposit.

I am happy that I was refunded a part of my deposit but what I am utterly disgusted at the tone and arrogance Nthabiseng was using with me during our email back and forth and her unwillingness to admit her mistakes (that the flat was not prepared for my occupation and that the initial inspection report was probably lost and that's why they ended up charging me a huge amount for repainting). Her not apologising was just a cherry on top. During all the email back and forth someone who I believe is her manager was cc'd on the mail but did absolutely nothing about her unprofessionalism.

My advise? If you're looking to rent a Pulse Property building take pictures and videos of the flat or house before moving in. Otherwise you will pay for all the repairs they've been avoiding to pay themselves.