Bad faith short term rental (Elaine Skidmore)

This is an urgent warning to avoid renting accommodation from Elaine Skidmore. Because we were desperate (moving house), we rented a wooden cabin in Raithby (between Stellenbosch and Somerset West) from her in 2024/5. Relentless excuses about the dilapidated premises (wonky, hazardous staircase; tiles falling of walls; almost inoperable front door and a host of other broken elements inside) and continuous promises to address the shortcomings, came to naught over two months. To top it all, when we moved out, our deposit was milked with vastly inflated and unrealistic electricity payments, while Elaine saw fit to unilaterally and contrary to a signed contract, slap on further utility charges. Requests to explain the inflated figures and additional costs were met with contrived accusations and often derogatory personal remarks, suggesting that she was trying to hide that these costs had no substance. Her remarks were contradictory, claiming electricity meters on the premises giving accurate accounts (but unwilling to share those details) while later on insisting her calculated average usage (based on her and her partner’s usage in their See Point flat) is the benchmark, only to return to unfounded slurs levelled at us suggesting we were wasteful. Try and avoid renting from Elaine Skidmore, or if you have no choice, make sure to withhold paying a deposit since this will most likely not be returned to you; after all, the contract she makes a big show of signing, is not worth the paper it is written on. Elaine is unwilling to listen to reason, unwilling to explain her highly dubious accounting practices, and has acted in a disrespectful, at times insulting, and vengeful ways towards us. In short, while accommodation in the area is scarce, be careful when doing business with this person – unfortunately we saw the internet warnings about her ************ ways too late. Hope the above will alert you to Elaine Skidmore’s devious rental practices.