You are sharing a house with your housemates, and the neighbours have lived on this street far longer than any of us. These rules exist so everyone gets on, so the house stays secure, and so your deposit comes back in full. They are the same rules you sign in your Guest Agreement, in plain words.

Safety and security

  1. Lock the front door and close the gate every time you go out, even for five minutes.
  2. Never share the alarm, gate or lockbox code, and never post it in writing. A panic button pressed by mistake costs the house R100.
  3. Don’t let in anyone you don’t know, even if they say they are here for a housemate.
  4. The alarm panel and the electric fence control are not yours to adjust. If cooking smoke sets off the fire alarm, silence it and reset both the fire panel and the alarm. The instructions are next to the panel.
  5. No heaters, gas burners or open flames in your room. The wiring in these old houses will not carry a heater. Ask the office for an electric blanket and a hot water bottle instead.
  6. No smoking or vaping indoors, bedrooms included. Outside is fine.
  7. No illegal substances on the premises.

Living together

  1. Quiet hours are 10 PM to 8 AM, every day. After 10, music and voices stay inside the house.
  2. Day visitors are welcome from 8 AM to 10 PM, the same hours the house is awake. If a housemate asks them to leave, they leave.
  3. Overnight guests need written permission from the office first. Only people who have signed a guest agreement live here.
  4. More than 4 visitors at once is a gathering, and gatherings need written approval in advance. Email renti@rentaroom.co.za.
  5. No animals of any kind, including service and support animals. The houses are shared.
  6. Treat your housemates, the neighbours and our team with respect. Harassment, threats or violence end your stay immediately.

Looking after the house

  1. Wash your own dishes and clear up after yourself in the kitchen and shared spaces, the same day.
  2. Kitchen rubbish goes into the outside bin in a tied bag. Our staff take the bins out to the street.
  3. After a shower, open the bathroom window and leave the fan on. It stops mould.
  4. Shared furniture stays where it is, and couch cushions are not bedding.
  5. Washing machines take laundry powder or liquid, never hand-wash detergent.
  6. Electricity is prepaid and we keep it topped up. If the meter reads zero, message your house group. At 317 Lower Main you buy the vouchers yourselves and share the cost between the house.
  7. If the gas stove runs out, switch to the standby cylinder and message your house group so we refill it.
  8. Maintenance requests go to Renti, our assistant: email renti@rentaroom.co.za or WhatsApp +27 82 661 9338.

Arriving and leaving

  1. Check-in is from 2 PM. You get a signed room inventory on arrival. Email renti@rentaroom.co.za within 7 days if anything in your room is damaged or missing, so it is not deducted later.
  2. Check-out is by 10 AM. Leave the room as you found it, lock the door and return your keys to the office. A room left dirty costs R500 from your deposit. We can hold the room until 4 PM on request, free if nobody is arriving that day.
  3. Keys: a lost set costs R250 to replace. Locked out after hours, call the locksmith number on the front door. The call-out is R950, paid to the locksmith directly.
  4. Your deposit is refunded no sooner than 10 working days after you leave, with an itemised statement of any deductions. Email renti@rentaroom.co.za once the 10 days have passed.

This house

  • 5 Howe Street lofts (F1, G7, L7): no parties or gatherings of any kind, at any time, by order of the body corporate. Breach means a R1,000 fine and immediate termination. The lofts have no outside space.
  • 317 Lower Main: you buy the electricity vouchers yourselves and share the cost between the house. This house has no backup power.
  • Braai houses (49 Milton, 73 Arnold, 89 Station, 91 Station, 197 Lower Main): bring your own charcoal or wood. Outside only, never under a roof. Someone stays with the fire the whole time. Fully out before you go in for the night. Our team cleans the grid, so leave it for them. More than 4 visitors at a braai is a gathering and needs written approval in advance.
  • 73 Arnold Street pool: no glass anywhere near the pool. No swimming after quiet hours start at 10 PM, and never alone at night. Nothing goes in the pool but people. Our team looks after the pump and chemicals, so leave the equipment alone.
  • Deck, rooftop and patios (7 Stanley, 89 Station, 91 Station): quiet hours apply outside exactly as inside, 10 PM to 8 AM. Sound carries off a rooftop. Take your glasses and plates back in with you. Visitors 8 AM to 10 PM, more than 4 is a gathering.

If a rule is broken

The same four steps apply to every rule: a reminder to the whole house, a written warning, a fine of R1,000 per person deducted from your deposit if not paid, then notice to leave. Cleaning done for you by staff is R5 per plate or pot. A false alarm call-out at an ADT house is R100, shared by the household. Damage is charged to the person responsible, or split across the house where nobody owns up.

Emergencies

Ambulance: call Netcare 911 on 082 911 (private, your travel insurance covers it). Fire, crime or break-in: 112 from a mobile, 10111 police. Observatory neighbourhood security (OBSID) answers 24 hours a day on 021 447 1066. Then message your house WhatsApp group.

Our team is on duty 7 days a week: Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM. Office: Loft G6, 5 Howe Street, Observatory. There is no Rent-A-Room after-hours line. For a leak, a power cut or a lockout after hours, message your house group and the team picks it up first thing.

The Guest Agreement you sign is the legal version of these rules and takes precedence if anything here differs. Version 2.4, 25 October 2026.