Former residents of a long-standing Cape Town apartment block say they were given just 30 days to leave homes some had occupied for decades as the property made way for a luxury redevelopment.
According to reporting by News24, tenants of The Atlantic in Three Anchor Bay said they were not opposed to the building being sold, but were unhappy with how the process was handled.
The property is being redeveloped into Shoreclub Private Residences, a luxury oceanfront development near the Sea Point Promenade. Apartments are being marketed from R8.495 million.
Residents say they were kept in the dark
Former tenants told News24 that they knew redevelopment was likely, but said they spent months trying to get clarity about when they would have to move.
Residents who wanted to renew their leases in January were reportedly told the agreements would continue on a month-to-month basis.
News24 reported that some residents later came across marketing for the future Shoreclub development while they were still living in the building.
Official notices to vacate were reportedly delivered on 1 April, shortly before the Easter weekend, giving residents around 30 days to find new accommodation.
Tenants said securing another rental in Sea Point and surrounding areas within that timeframe was extremely difficult.
Some residents had lived at The Atlantic for decades, while several families had occupied flats across generations.
Resident Armand Hough told News24 that tenants affectionately called the building “The Radlantic” because it offered relatively affordable accommodation in an increasingly expensive neighbourhood.
He described a close community where neighbours supported one another and said the redevelopment itself was not the main issue.
Former tenants also alleged that they waited about two months after moving out to receive their rental deposits.
Quay 1 responds
In response to questions from News24, Quay 1 chief executive Ryan Greeff said the agency had acted only as the real estate broker for the Shoreclub development.
Greeff said Quay 1 had been informed that the tenancies were operating on a month-to-month basis and that tenant-related matters were handled directly between the relevant parties.
He added that the agency had also been told some tenants were given additional time to find alternative accommodation.
I’m a writer, editor and software developer at Newsroom ZA.
I build things, break them (on purpose), then turn the chaos into clean, readable stories. You’ll usually find me bouncing between breaking news, politics and entertainment.