Rent a Johannesburg Home Steeped in History With JHC

A century ago, the clay beneath parts of Johannesburg was dug up and fired into the bricks that built the city. Today some of that same ground is home to tenants of the Johannesburg Housing Company, while others step out of lifts that used to carry five-star hotel guests. This November, as many households start planning a new-year move, JHC is drawing attention to the stories behind several of its best-known inner-city buildings. The social housing company has worked in the inner city since 1995.

JHC was set up to respond to the city's housing challenges. Since then it has developed more than 4,513 rental housing units, provided homes for more than 12,650 people and today manages 36 buildings. A good number of those buildings were rescued, converted or newly built in places where very few others were investing at the time, and several have histories that prospective tenants may want to hear before signing a lease.

From five-star hotel to family flats

In Joubert Park, Landrost Mansions started life as a five-star hotel frequented by the rich and famous. It became JHC's first hotel-to-residential conversion, completed in 2000. Original hotel fittings and finishes remain in use to this day, visible to residents in the lift lobby, inside the lifts and along the stairway. The 18-storey tower now contains 241 units across bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts, and residents have WiFi, a playroom and a playground. Joubert Park lies at the centre of Johannesburg, within reach of galleries, a museum, shopping centres and public transport.

A Hillbrow first for Better Buildings

Lake Success in Hillbrow holds the distinction of being the first building successfully upgraded under the City of Johannesburg's Better Buildings Programme. JHC gave it a major clean-up and a complete overhaul to bring it back to good living conditions, and new tenants began moving in during 2002. Across 12 storeys there are 145 units, ranging from single rooms with shared facilities to bachelor and three-bedroom flats, plus secure parking in the courtyard. The building is also part of the Pietersen Street eKhaya Neighbourhood Programme, through which JHC, neighbouring property owners and city agencies work together to keep the area clean and safe.

Living where Johannesburg made its bricks

In the early 20th century, Newtown was called the Brickfields, because its clay made brick manufacturing the main source of income in the area. JHC's Brickfields development took that name when it was built in 2005, becoming the first central housing development downtown in more than 30 years. It has 345 units spread over a four-storey walk-up and nine-storey tower blocks, with bachelor to three-bedroom flats as well as live and work facilities. Residents benefit from secure parking, on-site security, a creche, a playground and a soccer court, and Newtown Junction and the Market Theatre are a short walk away.

A string of inner-city firsts

Looking back over JHC's milestones reveals one first after another. San Martin in Joubert Park, bought in 1996, was the company's first building acquired for social housing. A year later, in 1997, JHC finished its first office-to-residential conversion at Tower Hill in Hillbrow and opened Jeppe Oval in Jeppestown, the inner city's first new-build residential development in 30 years. When Carr Gardens in Newtown opened, it was fully occupied within 17 days. All of these buildings continue to provide homes today.

JHC's work has also been recognised internationally. In 2006 the company received the international BSHF UN Habitat Award for practical, innovative and sustainable housing solutions, and was named Social Housing Institution of the Year at the inaugural Govan Mbeki Awards.

Walk-ups, courtyards and Art Deco

Not every JHC building is a tower. Opened in 2002, Tribunal Gardens in Fordsburg has 174 units set in three and four-storey walk-up buildings arranged around open courtyards. Elangeni Gardens in Marshalltown, which also opened in 2002, is a walk-up townhouse complex of 168 units centred on a courtyard, and when it was financed in 2000 it became the first inner-city social housing project to secure a commercial loan. Stanhope Mansions pairs Art Deco character with modern living, and Ukhamba Mansions stands 19 storeys tall with 222 apartments intended mainly for young professionals.

Who calls JHC home

Families, single parents, young working couples, professionals, blue-collar workers, students and the elderly all rent from JHC. Its unit types match that variety, covering single rooms with shared facilities, bachelor flats, and one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Anyone looking for flats to rent near work, transport and amenities will find many inner-city options close to the CBD, along with further buildings in areas including Newtown, Fordsburg, Marshalltown and Cosmo City.

Tenants come first in JHC's model of qualified building management. That approach includes a structured maintenance process, as well as community work delivered through events, activations and resident programmes.

Getting ready for a new-year move

The end of the year is a sensible point to begin the search. An early start leaves renters time to view buildings and weigh up units before committing. On JHC's website, available units are listed per building with rental amounts and unit sizes, and an affordability calculator shows applicants how much rent they can manage on their income. Applying is straightforward, and current tenants who refer someone to JHC can earn a reward.

People weighing up apartments to rent in Johannesburg will find that a JHC building combines affordable rent with professional management. And for those who like a building with character, Landrost Mansions, Lake Success and Brickfields offer apartments to rent with histories stretching back decades.

To see available units, building details and the affordability calculator, visit https://www.jhc.co.za/.

About JHC

Established in 1995, the Johannesburg Housing Company (JHC) is a social housing company providing affordable rental homes in inner-city Johannesburg and surrounding areas. It has developed more than 4,513 units and manages 36 buildings. The portfolio spans converted heritage buildings and new-build developments, with single rooms, bachelor flats and one, two and three-bedroom apartments serving households in the middle to low earning segments.