Cape Gannett Properties 267 Proprietary Limited, reg no 2007/025373/07

I am highly disgusted in Cape Gannett Properties 267 Proprietary Limited, reg no 2007/025373/07 and anyone affiliated by their developments, especially in the Pretoria area.

I bought a unit in a recent development, Protea Village, in Annlin, Pretoria, off-plan, effective date of transaction, 20/06/2019. I will absolutely NOT recommend another property enthusiast to do the same. My reasoning spans from more than a year's constant struggles with maintenance at my NEWLY-BUILT property.

I have tenants renting the property who moved in in August 2020. Since them having moved in, tiles started tenting all over the unit at different stages. Cape Gannet Properties agreed to retile the portions of the unit where tiles came loose as a result of the tenting.

In totality, there were more than 6 occasions where different parts of the unit’s tiles tented and cracked as a result where Cape Gannett had to come out to retile. Every time having the need to inconvenience the tenants.

Mr. Johan Olivier, one of the Directors of Cape Gannet Properties, advised on 10 May 2021, that they, the developer, will be willing to retile the entire unit due to the persisting tile-issue. This email follows communication with myself where Johan also, on 12 March promised their commitment towards achieving a permanent solution for the tiles. These were empty promises that were never upheld.

I have, on multiple occasions, asked Cape Gannet properties to send a professional in, to do a thorough inspection of the construction and to provide me with a full report and final action-plan for retiling which will avoid the same issue in future. These requests from myself, the legal owner, were blatantly ignored.

When asked about the inspection, Mariette Verwoerd from Cape Gannet Properties advised that a Mr. Toon did attend to the matter and did the inspection, when in actual fact, he merely went to the unit, to tell the tenant that the “glue” used when they previously tiled, seems to have been sub-standard. He did not once do quality assurance of the tiling work done by his workers before they left. Following the alleged "inspection" by Toon, Mr. Olivier reported back to myself on 11 March with various probable reasons as to the tenting of the tiles, but no action-plan.

Since the mention of sub-standard tile glue, some of the parts which have been retiled in this “journey” (for the lack of a better word) have AGAIN tented. Cape Gannet is refusing to retile parts of the unit which is again lifting in 2022 even though those parts have recently been retiled by them. When asked about it, they simply ignore communication.

This isn’t even the worst part. The tenant advised me that, after the main bedroom on the first floor was retiled, the tiles are mismatched in colour. Cape Gannet seems to be perfectly fine with the fact that my property’s tiles are mismatched in colour and is in effect TREMENDOUS damage to my property, both aesthetically and financially as the entire property needs retiling to amend this issue. The tilers also seem to be comfortable with leaving tiles adjacent to where they have retiled in the bathroom, chipped, from their work. Apart from the above, two light switches have also broken and won’t turn on. I am of the opinion that a light switch with decent quality, doesn’t have a life-span of just over two years, Cape Gannet is in this respect also saying that the property is out of retention.

Then, the outside taps which are installed are of extremely cheap quality, made from, what seems to be, PVC or plastic. One of the taps’ handles has broken in half from the elements’ effect on the material. Cape Gannet also refuses to replace this tap.

Further to the above. The handle on the wooden door leading to the garage came loose MONTHS ago and the tenant reported it immediately just for iGrow to advise that it is for my account. A property of this age shouldn’t already have defective light switches, door handles, outside taps and especially not tiles that tents and breaks.

I am UTTERLY disgusted in Cape Gannet Properties and their personnel as well as the quality of the property I purchased as an investment, which is turning out to be a liability.

Does Cape Gannet Properties have no pride in their developments or after sale service delivery?

When given ample opportunity to finally answer, Mariette Verwoerdt merely responds with an email asking that they not be contacted by myself, nor my tenants regarding maintenance in respect of my property.