Olivia M

Greedy Deposit ****mers

I'm so disappointed by the treatment I received from Seeff. I previously rented a property at Eagle Canyon Golf Estate, Honeydew Johannesburg through Seeff Property Group. The lease period was from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025. I lived in the apartment with my 10-year-old son, and my older son visited occasionally. The property was a two-bedroom apartment with a large balcony, which we converted into a third room. The monthly rental was R15,500 excluding utilities. I paid a total deposit of R17,000 to Seeff, made up of R15,500 for the rental deposit and R2,500 for utilities. I did not receive a pre-inspection checklist with my lease agreement. My utilities averaged approximately R3,500 per month. All rent and utility payments were made on time throughout the lease period. On the last day of my lease, I hired a professional cleaner and a company to repaint and do necessary touch-ups, including repainting dirty walls. I paid R4,500 for this work from my own pocket. During the post-inspection, I was informed that the property was not cleaned to the required standard and that one floor tile in one bedroom was scratched. I was advised that my deposit would be used to replace the entire bedroom flooring. I disputed this, as the tile was already in that condition when I moved in, and it is unreasonable to replace the entire floor for a single tile. Throughout December, my follow-ups regarding my deposit went unanswered until I escalated the matter to a senior at Seeff. On 13 January, I received a November utilities bill of R7,500, which is significantly higher than my normal usage. I also received an invoice of R9 224,00 for repairs, which I believe is incorrect and inflated. The utilities charges appear excessive. In addition, the painting invoice charges for four walls and ceilings (R5,439.00), whereas only two walls were supposed to be painted. The ceilings were never part of the agreement and are very high for anyone to make them dirty; one would require a ladder even to change a light bulb. I was unable to replace a bathroom bulb myself for this reason. Furthermore, the quotation does not mention flooring repairs at all. It appears that the landlord continues to find reasons to deduct from my deposit rather than refund it. This feels unreasonable and unfair. According to my agreement with the Seeff agent, she was to arrange a cleaner to wash the windows and stove, replace a light bulb I provided, and charge me only for painting two walls. I do not understand why I am now being charged for four walls (R5 439,00), ceilings that were not dirty, and inflated labour costs (2700). I received an email on 28 January 2026 advising that the landlord is entitled to charge any amount he deems fit and to appoint a contractor of his own choice. I was further informed that, from the R17,500 deposit I paid, I would only be refunded R887.