I rented an apartment in the Empire Bldg, Muizenberg, from May to November of 2013, through an agency called Whale Watchers. A month or two after moving in mould began to develop on all the ceilings (the apartment was very damp due to being sea-facing). Towards the end of the contract the mould covered every corner of the apartment, and my family's health had deteriorated badly (constant chest infections). I informed Whale Watchers but they failed to treat the mould even though we went to stay in a hotel for a week to allow them time to paint over the mould. When I asked Whale Watchers why they hadn't bothered to treat the mould in our absence they said they would wait to do it AFTER OUR CONTRACT ENDED! After we moved out we were horrified to discover that they charged us for the mould treatment (IE. deducted the money from our deposit). Due to the fact that all the sea-facing units in that building suffer from mould, I know we were not the cause of it, so to be charged money after suffering so much is one of the greatest insults imaginable. During our 7 month stay we also heard many other horror stories about Whale Watchers withholding deposits for any number of false reasons.
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