A recent article in Paarl Post saying a Rental Housing Tribunal will soon open a branch in the Drakenstein area is welcome news. Apparently the demand does not meet the supply of rental properties in the Drakenstein area.
Estate agents and agents know this. It is boom time for the rental market in Paarl. Everywhere advertisement boards go up all over town of private independent agents and recognised estate agencies. Some renters even give a blank cheque to agencies to find them accommodation whatever the cost.
Some property owners convert vacant rooms in their homes and advertise it as “garden flats”. These are dwellings with no clear planned structure, but because of a kitchen basin and toilet built in, it qualifies as suitable accommodation.
Everyone wants their children in “good schools”, it is said. To have one’s child at one of the posh schools in the valley is a status symbol, such as the car one drives and house one owns. Just renovate your place and you can ask any price, the gold diggers say.
This leads to all kinds of exploitation of the renter who is desperate to find accommodation. Obviously some agents are more ethical than others, but while the going is good everyone is on the gravy train. If you go behind the rock and leave the valley, and travel to the Northern and Southern suburbs, the rental prices are more realistic. Places with more modern finishes rent at far lower prices than their counterparts with dingy old rooms and living spaces in the valley.
Some say one gets more value and quality for less money in the suburbs. But it is said the valley is in demand with all these “good sports schools.” The whole of Pretoria is in Paarl, and Val de Vie is affectionately known as Pretoria by the Sea. The estate agents take care of all your needs as you sip your gin and tonic in the pool watching the sunset; your little piece of paradise.
This brings me to the main reason for writing this letter. Please be careful of prospective renters and don’t be taken advantage of.
Thankfully, the Rental Housing Tribunal seems to be on its way. Don’t fall into the trap of estate agents and owners who are inflating rental prices. Get value for your money. Take care and check what you are getting for the price you pay. If you are not “fanatically” linked to this place look elsewhere for a better deal. If you are caught up in the lifestyle with style mould it is understandable, but realise that what trends now could be history tomorrow.
I wish you well as owners, renters, estate gents and agencies. Let’s work for a fair deal for all and provide our clients what they pay for. Be careful out there and always know there are always sharks in the sea. Hopefully somehow this whole industry can be better regulated and monitored. But as long as profits are to be made, I’m afraid the human factor will be sacrificed for profits.
