Lack of transparency

Van Hulsteyns Attorneys were appointed by the seller to handle the transfer of a property I purchased for R710,000 (inclusive of transfer costs), which was paid in full and held in their trust account for registration into my name. More than three years later, the transfer has still not been completed and the property has not been registered. The matter was further complicated by significant municipal arrears exceeding R1 million linked to the property. A further R150,000 was released from the trust funds in an attempt to resolve these issues, but the transfer still did not proceed. Despite the transaction remaining incomplete, I have not received a refund of the remaining trust funds after requesting cancellation. They say the owner does not want them to release the funds. Communication has been poor and there has been no clear resolution timeline. Overall, I am disappointed with the prolonged delay, lack of transparency, and failure to finalise a straightforward property transfer.