Go with another estate agent

I am profoundly disappointed by the level of unprofessional conduct displayed by Firzt Realty, particularly by Kaveer and Pamella. What should have been a straightforward rental mandate devolved into an exhausting and entirely avoidable ordeal.

From the outset, I was clear and consistent about the terms of the listing. Kaveer explicitly advised that if the apartment were to be rented semi-furnished, items such as crockery, cutlery, and linen should be removed, which I did. Despite this being discussed and agreed upfront, I was repeatedly asked every few weeks over the two-month listing period whether these items were in the apartment, as though no prior conversations had taken place. This was particularly concerning given that Kaveer and Pamella visited the apartment far more frequently than I did and therefore should have been fully aware of its contents. To make matters worse, I later received a last-minute request to move crockery, cutlery, and linen back into the apartment, despite my position having been made explicitly clear from the beginning and reiterated multiple times. This ongoing confusion reflected a lack of attention to detail and basic client management.

I was equally clear that the rental needed to remain financially viable and that I could not rent the apartment at a loss. Nevertheless, after more than two months on the market without securing a tenant, I agreed to three price reductions. Throughout this period, communication was poor, reactive rather than proactive, and required constant follow-ups on my part.

Due to the prolonged vacancy and my declining confidence in the service being provided, I formally informed Firzt that I would hand the listing over to another agency if no tenant was confirmed within a defined timeframe of one week. In response, Kaveer requested a fourth price reduction, citing a neighbouring apartment that had been rented for over R4,000 less than my asking rental. This comparison was fundamentally flawed, as the neighbouring unit was unfurnished, lacked a parking bay, and did not include appliances such as a TV, fridge, oven, stove, air conditioner, or Wi-Fi extender. I subsequently terminated the mandate with Firzt, at which point the situation deteriorated significantly.

On the day my keys were meant to be returned, I was ignored. Pamella contacted me after 19h00, proposing to drop the keys at the apartment, despite both agents being fully aware that the apartment was vacant and that I no longer reside there. I explicitly instructed that the keys be delivered to my parents’ home, shared the address, and informed my mother to expect her. Pamella agreed, and then simply did not arrive.

The withholding of my keys was unacceptable. Kaveer was fully aware of my parents’ address and, given that he lives less than five minutes away, the continued delay was entirely unreasonable. This issue was communicated repeatedly, yet no urgency or accountability was demonstrated. Each additional day that my keys were withheld caused unnecessary stress and financial impact.

The keys were only returned after I threatened formal escalation. When they were finally handed back, they were in a visibly neglected and damaged condition, covered in grease and showing signs of rust, despite having been in Firzt’s possession for only two months. In the attached images, the keys on the left are the ones returned to me, while the silver set is my original set. This level of deterioration is unacceptable and clearly indicative of poor care and negligence.

What is perhaps most concerning is the complete lack of accountability throughout this process. No meaningful apology was offered. Even after I formally terminated the mandate, Pamella continued to contact me to arrange viewings. Most recently, I was contacted on a Sunday afternoon requesting a viewing with less than two hours’ notice, despite Firzt no longer having the listing.

This experience demonstrated a serious lack of professionalism, urgency, and respect for clients. I would not trust Firzt Realty to secure a tenant, let alone manage a rental property. I would not recommend this agency or these agents to any landlord or anyone looking to rent or buy property.