Stesh Maboneng Hotelstyle City Building

I'd give this zero stars, not one. The first time I lived here, it was a vibe and I didn't have much to complain about. I moved back a few months ago, though, and it's been a nightmare. Maintenance requests take ages or never get dealt with, and tenant service is terrible. The security guards seem to be looking for a way to make extra money and won't help properly unless you're willing to pay. The building manager is hard to reach, so if you need him for an emergency at night, too bad. I've seen people locked out and left to sleep on the streets over small issues, and I've witnessed it happen to too many different people. When it comes to actually providing service, they completely fail. It seems all they care about is getting paid, not tenants' needs. You need permission for everything, like you're in boarding school. This place is the pits. Don't be fooled by the old pictures or glamorous wording in the ads. It can't be anyone's peaceful home.

I spent about 2.5 years in this building, from 2022-2025, and my experience was mixed. I had a ground-floor loft, but several problems weren't obvious from a quick inspection. The units get very little natural light. Since I worked from home, my eyes would hurt adjusting when I went outside, and after coming in from a sunny day the place looked really dark. In summer, my unit also attracted loads of flies, which was annoying and another reason to keep the windows shut. A generator in the neighboring building was extremely loud too. It woke me in the morning, and with it running I could barely hear the TV, let alone leave the windows open. The water pressure was low, and don't count on a truly hot shower. At best it was mildly warm if I got lucky, and I was always left wanting more. They use Rise wifi. It used to make you log in through a portal that only worked half the time and caused me plenty of headaches as a remote worker. They improved it somewhat by removing that requirement, but if you need wifi for work, I'd have a backup. I get that security matters, but being asked for written permission to have someone sleep over felt insane, especially as a man in my 20s. Imagine explaining that to the baddies you meet at groove 😭😓. It felt like student accommodation and made it hard to think of the unit as my place. The pool isn't practical for adults. I'm 1.67m, not tall by any definition, and the water only came up to my knees. Your legs hit the bottom, and you'd cross it in about three strokes. They deducted R1650 from my deposit for repainting, which I think was unfair. The building manager had told me they repaint anyway when someone moves out, but head office gave me a different answer when I asked why I hadn't received all my deposit back. It left a sour taste, like they were making me cover a business expense. I wish I'd done a proper inspection and taken photos before moving in. I remember buying cleaning supplies because the apartment was a little dirty, which made it seem they hadn't repainted before I arrived.

I'm still angry about my stay at this dump. It looks decent outside, but inside it was a nightmare. Before I moved in, the manager, Sipho, told me everything was fine. Instead, the apartment had broken shelves, a filthy shower and toilet, a door that wouldn't close, no hot water, and cockroaches everywhere. I reported the problems for five days and nothing got fixed during that time. The door wouldn't lock, the hot water was out, and I had to put up with the roaches. They finally sent someone after five days. Water also went off several times in one month. The toilet was broken when I left, and although I reported it, they never repaired it. The ad photos are outdated and misleading too. Management seems focused on getting rent and getting you out on moving day. They checked the apartment several times to make sure I was leaving, and if you're not out by the deadline, they'll take drastic steps, like confiscating your furniture. It was laughable how attentive they suddenly became when it was time to leave. I had to send multiple notices just to get a response, and it still took ages. When I said I was moving out, they acted as if they had no idea I'd given notice, making the whole process a headache. Anyone thinking of renting here should beware. They don't care about tenants, just their money. Don't waste your time or sanity here.

Zero stars from me. The building managers steal our things from the rooms. I came here for the pool, but two years later it still hasn't operated, and nothing gets maintained in the rooms. The building looks good from outside and in pictures from 10 years ago. The geysers and wifi don't work, and a motor like noise from the next building makes it hard to sleep at night.