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Property letting and residential sales in Gauteng
Getting your property let to a tenant who pays — or sold to a buyer who completes. Market-related pricing, real marketing and careful screening.
Letting your property
Property letting is the process of getting a property rented: pricing it against the market, marketing it properly, running viewings, screening applicants for credit and affordability, and putting a compliant lease in place through to move-in.
Letting well takes more than putting it online. It requires accurate market-related pricing, professional marketing, careful tenant vetting and a lease that complies with the Rental Housing Act. Get the price wrong by a small margin and the property stands empty; get the screening wrong and you spend a year recovering from it.
Once the property is let, you do not have to manage it yourself. Our rental management service takes over rent collection, maintenance, inspections and reporting.
Rental valuation
A comparative market analysis of what similar properties in the area have actually let for, with a recommended asking rental and a realistic time to let.
Professional marketing
Photography, an accurate property description and listing across the leading South African property platforms.
Viewings and enquiries
Coordinated viewings and enquiry handling, so applicants are qualified before they take up your time.
Tenant screening
Credit bureau checks, affordability against payslips and bank statements, employment confirmation and landlord references.
Lease and move-in
A lease compliant with the Rental Housing Act, deposit lodged in an interest-bearing account, and a documented joint incoming inspection.
Handover to management
A clean handover into rental management if you want the property run for you, with no gap between placement and management.
Selling a residential property
We also handle residential sales for owners and investors, using the same market analysis and marketing approach.
Property valuations
Market valuations based on comparative sales, a condition assessment and current market conditions — so the asking price is defensible.
Buyer sourcing
Targeted marketing and established networks that put the property in front of qualified buyers.
Negotiation and offer
Negotiation of price and terms, and management of the offer to purchase through to acceptance.
Transfer coordination
Coordination of the compliance certificates, documentation and conveyancing process through to registration of transfer.
Our letting process
Property assessment
A market-related rental valuation and a review of the property, so it is priced to let quickly and presented to attract quality tenants.
Marketing and viewings
Photography and targeted marketing across leading platforms, with coordinated viewings and qualified enquiries.
Tenant screening
Credit, affordability, employment and reference checks, and a recommendation you make the final call on.
Lease and move-in
Lease preparation compliant with the Rental Housing Act, deposit lodged, and a documented joint incoming inspection.
Letting and sales questions
What does a letting service include?
Everything involved in getting your property let: a market-related rental valuation, professional marketing, coordinated viewings, credit and affordability screening, and a lease that complies with the Rental Housing Act, through to a documented move-in.
After that, our rental management service can take over the ongoing day-to-day if you would like the property managed too.
Who is responsible for repairs and maintenance?
Under the Rental Housing Act the landlord must maintain the property in a habitable condition, and the tenant must keep it in good order and return it in the condition received, fair wear and tear excepted.
The joint incoming and outgoing inspections are what make that split enforceable in practice. Without them, a deposit dispute usually goes the tenant's way.
What are my obligations as a landlord?
The main ones under the Rental Housing Act: provide a written lease if the tenant asks for one, hold the deposit in an interest-bearing account and pay the interest to the tenant, carry out a joint incoming inspection before move-in and a joint outgoing inspection at the end, issue receipts for payments, and respect the tenant's right to privacy and undisturbed occupation.
You may not lock a tenant out, seize their possessions or cut off water or electricity to force payment. Recovery of arrears and eviction go through the Rental Housing Tribunal or the courts.
Can you let furnished and unfurnished properties?
Both. A furnished letting needs a detailed inventory annexed to the lease and photographed at the incoming inspection, otherwise the deposit cannot be applied against missing or damaged items at the end.
What happens when the lease comes to an end?
We approach you ahead of expiry with a market review and a recommendation: renew at an escalation, renew at the same rate, or re-let.
If the tenant leaves, the outgoing inspection is carried out jointly and should happen within three days of expiry. The deposit is then reconciled against the inspection reports. Where there is no damage the balance and interest are refunded within seven days of expiry; where repairs are needed, within fourteen days of the property being restored; and where the tenant fails to attend the outgoing inspection, within twenty-one days of expiry.
How much rent can I charge for my property?
It is set by the market, not by what the bond costs. We prepare a comparative market analysis of what similar properties in the same area have actually been let for recently, and recommend a figure that lets quickly without leaving money on the table. Over-pricing by a small margin routinely costs more in vacancy than it gains in rent.
Other services
Ready to let your property with confidence?
From a single unit to a full rental portfolio, City Accommodations prices your property properly, markets it, and places a tenant you can rely on.