1 Bedroom Apartment in Darrenwood

R14,900 a month with nothing else to pay. No utility accounts, no prepaid meters, no fibre contract, no separate service providers and no month-end surprises. The monthly figure is the whole cost of living here.

Idwala was the original farm in this area. Today it is a boutique eco estate of four cottages, and Lapeng is one of them - thatch, stone and natural rock, a private deck, and an established indigenous garden a kilometre from Cresta. It is a bush-lodge feel you will not find in an ordinary Randburg complex, and most people are surprised by how quiet it is given how close it sits to everything.

THE COTTAGE

One bedroom, taking a king-size bed with a Simmons mattress, with fitted cupboards. The bathroom has both a bath and a separate walk-in shower.

The kitchen is fully equipped and includes a dishwasher and a washing machine. The lounge has a 55-inch television. High thatched ceiling, natural rock features, and good light through the day.

Everything is furnished and in place, so you arrive with your clothes and nothing else.

Outside, the deck is yours alone, with a built-in gas braai and views into the garden.

WHAT R14,900 COVERS THAT MOST RENTALS DON'T

Almost every furnished rental quotes the rent and leaves you to arrange the rest. At Lapeng the monthly figure covers:

Rent

Electricity and water

Weekly housekeeping

Fibre WiFi

Garden service

Refuse and recycling collection

Secure parking

Armed response

There are no utility accounts to open and no deposits to lodge with the council or a fibre provider. Nothing to install when you arrive and nothing to cancel when you leave. One monthly payment, and the property is maintained for you.

If you are relocating to Johannesburg, working here on assignment, or simply have no appetite for running a household on top of everything else, that is worth more than it sounds.

OFF THE GRID

The estate generates its own electricity from solar with battery storage, and draws its own water from a borehole on the property. This is not a backup that switches on during an outage - it is the system the cottages run on permanently, independent of the municipal grid.

THE SETTING

Four cottages, stone pathways between them, and birdsong rather than traffic. The estate is owner-run and deliberately small. We meet every resident before they move in, which is what keeps it a good place to live.

THE AREA

Darrenwood is a quiet, boomed suburb bordering Linden. Cresta Shopping Centre is a kilometre away, with Clearwater and Northgate a short drive. Rosebank and Sandton are a straightforward commute, and Northcliff, Blackheath, Greenside and Emmarentia are all within a few minutes.

WHO LAPENG SUITS

One or two adults on a six-month minimum lease, continuing month to month thereafter. Many of our residents stay considerably longer.

It works particularly well for professionals relocating to Johannesburg, executives on assignment, and anyone who wants a proper home with a garden rather than a flat in a complex.

A few things worth knowing upfront:

Six-month minimum lease

Non-smoking, including vaping

No pets. The owners' dogs live on the estate, so we are unable to accommodate other animals.

One or two adults

The deposit is one month's rental, payable before occupation. A screening process applies to every application, including proof of income, references and a credit check. Those come at the end, once you have seen the cottage and decided you want it.

HOW TO APPLY

Direct applications only. We do not work with estate agents and we do not accept agency mandates.

Full details, photographs and the application form are on our website. The form starts with five quick questions, so you will know within a minute whether Lapeng is right for you.

Idwala, Darrenwood, Randburg. Four furnished cottages on the original farm, let directly by the owners.