Preferental
2.6|44 reviews
NN
Njunju N
1 reviews | Active since Member
12 Jul 2025, 11:08
Preferental: Disappointing & Unsafe Experience at 21 Belhambra Road Property (Under Preferental)
I rented a bachelor unit at 21 Belhambra Road, Primrose, a property listed under Preferental, and unfortunately, my experience was unpleasant from the day I moved in.
Upon arrival, I discovered that the padlocks didn’t work, the doors were faulty, and the gas geyser wasn’t functioning—meaning no hot water at all. Despite paying my deposit and rent in full, I had to stay with a friend for two weeks. When I returned, nothing had been resolved. I still had no gas cylinder for the geyser, and the caretaker had to bring me buckets of hot water just to bathe.
The shower head was faulty, spraying painfully, and multiple maintenance issues were reported to Ntshaki, Daniel, and via Preferental’s website—none were ever resolved timeously. Even basic things like a broken padlock on the entrance gate remained neglected until a tenant’s washing machine was ****** from the property. Items were frequently ****** off the washing lines, and unfami**** people would roam the yard, creating an unsafe environment.
To make matters worse, the shower glass cracked due to poor geyser regulation and only got fixed months later. I even found the caretaker inside my unit without permission(to fix the window handle which later broke again), which made me feel unsafe and completely violated. This was also reported to Daniel.
The final straw came on 25 February 2025, when someone fami**** with the property entered my unit and stole my 55-inch Samsung Smart TV and soundbar, newly bought in November 2024. The owner (whose identity kept changing—first it was Daniel, then Angelique, then Pilane, Smanga, and Ntshaki) showed no care or accountability.
Despite consistent follow-ups and logging maintenance issues, Preferental failed to respond. Even after emailing them outlining my serious safety concerns and asking about promised security measures (e.g., cameras, Mamba security registration, remote access, panic buttons), there was no concrete action taken. These were all discussions I had directly with Daniel and Ntshaki.
I had high hopes for this place—it looked beautiful on the outside—but the persistent neglect, thefts, safety concerns, and lack of maintenance forced me to move out. It's disheartening that tenants had to fix issues themselves, and even then, their safety wasn't guaranteed.
I cannot recommend this property or Preferental. Tenants deserve to feel safe, heard, and cared for—none of which I experienced here.
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Replies (53)Preferental's replyOfficial
22 Jul 2025, 12:27Dear Njunju,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry to hear that your stay at 21 Belhambra Road was distressing and disappointing.
At Preferental, the safety, dignity, and satisfaction of our tenants are of utmost importance. We would like to sincerely apologise for the frustrations you experienced and the lack of timely support you received in addressing the issues you raised.We are deeply concerned about the allegations of security breaches, unresolved maintenance, and unauthorised access to your unit. These are serious matters that do not align with Preferental’s standards, and we will be escalating this internally for further investigation and action.
We want to clarify that Preferental operates as a digital property management platform that facilitates communication between landlords and tenants, while the landlord remains responsible for on-site property condition and maintenance. That said, our team is committed to ensuring that maintenance requests logged on our system are followed up with urgency, and in this case, we acknowledge that this process fell short.
Your concerns regarding safety features, theft, and the response from those managing the property have been noted and are being reviewed by our Compliance and Support teams. The breakdown in communication and lack of resolution you’ve described is unacceptable, and we are committed to learning from your experience to prevent future occurrences.
We are sorry that this experience did not reflect the quality and care Preferental strives to deliver. Thank you again for bringing these issues to our attention. Your feedback helps us do better.
Kind regards,
The Preferental Team
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry to hear that your stay at 21 Belhambra Road was distressing and disappointing.
At Preferental, the safety, dignity, and satisfaction of our tenants are of utmost importance. We would like to sincerely apologise for the frustrations you experienced and the lack of timely support you received in addressing the issues you raised.We are deeply concerned about the allegations of security breaches, unresolved maintenance, and unauthorised access to your unit. These are serious matters that do not align with Preferental’s standards, and we will be escalating this internally for further investigation and action.
We want to clarify that Preferental operates as a digital property management platform that facilitates communication between landlords and tenants, while the landlord remains responsible for on-site property condition and maintenance. That said, our team is committed to ensuring that maintenance requests logged on our system are followed up with urgency, and in this case, we acknowledge that this process fell short.
Your concerns regarding safety features, theft, and the response from those managing the property have been noted and are being reviewed by our Compliance and Support teams. The breakdown in communication and lack of resolution you’ve described is unacceptable, and we are committed to learning from your experience to prevent future occurrences.
We are sorry that this experience did not reflect the quality and care Preferental strives to deliver. Thank you again for bringing these issues to our attention. Your feedback helps us do better.
Kind regards,
The Preferental Team
Best regards,
Preferental's reply22 Jul 2025, 12:27
Official
Dear Njunju,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry to hear that your stay at 21 Belhambra Road was distressing and disappointing.
At Preferental, the safety, dignity, and satisfaction of our tenants are of utmost importance. We would like to sincerely apologise for the frustrations you experienced and the lack of timely support you received in addressing the issues you raised.We are deeply concerned about the allegations of security breaches, unresolved maintenance, and unauthorised access to your unit. These are serious matters that do not align with Preferental’s standards, and we will be escalating this internally for further investigation and action.
We want to clarify that Preferental operates as a digital property management platform that facilitates communication between landlords and tenants, while the landlord remains responsible for on-site property condition and maintenance. That said, our team is committed to ensuring that maintenance requests logged on our system are followed up with urgency, and in this case, we acknowledge that this process fell short.
Your concerns regarding safety features, theft, and the response from those managing the property have been noted and are being reviewed by our Compliance and Support teams. The breakdown in communication and lack of resolution you’ve described is unacceptable, and we are committed to learning from your experience to prevent future occurrences.
We are sorry that this experience did not reflect the quality and care Preferental strives to deliver. Thank you again for bringing these issues to our attention. Your feedback helps us do better.
Kind regards,
The Preferental Team
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry to hear that your stay at 21 Belhambra Road was distressing and disappointing.
At Preferental, the safety, dignity, and satisfaction of our tenants are of utmost importance. We would like to sincerely apologise for the frustrations you experienced and the lack of timely support you received in addressing the issues you raised.We are deeply concerned about the allegations of security breaches, unresolved maintenance, and unauthorised access to your unit. These are serious matters that do not align with Preferental’s standards, and we will be escalating this internally for further investigation and action.
We want to clarify that Preferental operates as a digital property management platform that facilitates communication between landlords and tenants, while the landlord remains responsible for on-site property condition and maintenance. That said, our team is committed to ensuring that maintenance requests logged on our system are followed up with urgency, and in this case, we acknowledge that this process fell short.
Your concerns regarding safety features, theft, and the response from those managing the property have been noted and are being reviewed by our Compliance and Support teams. The breakdown in communication and lack of resolution you’ve described is unacceptable, and we are committed to learning from your experience to prevent future occurrences.
We are sorry that this experience did not reflect the quality and care Preferental strives to deliver. Thank you again for bringing these issues to our attention. Your feedback helps us do better.
Kind regards,
The Preferental Team
Best regards,