Rental Housing Tribunals are established in each province under the Rental Housing Act.
The Tribunal is free and its rulings are binding. It handles deposits, unlawful eviction, maintenance and unfair practices, and you do not need a lawyer.
A landlord may not evict without a court order, and may not lock you out, remove doors or cut services to force you out. Those acts are themselves grounds for a complaint.
This page covers how to contact the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud in South Africa. The details below were taken from the official Consumer Goods and Services Ombud contact page rather than from any third-party directory.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel quickly.
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud contact numbers
These routes were verified against the official Consumer Goods and Services Ombud contact page on 24 August 2026. Contact numbers do change, so confirm on the official page before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Consumer complaints call centre | 0860 000 272 |
| Complaints WhatsApp | 081 335 3005 |
| Reception | 011 781 2607 |
| General enquiries email | [email protected] |
| Information officer email | [email protected] |
| National Consumer Commission | 012 065 1940 |
The office is at 292 Surrey Avenue, Ferndale, Randburg.
The service is free to consumers. Complain to the supplier first and keep the reference number, because the Ombud will ask what the supplier said. It covers goods and services; financial products go to the National Financial Ombud and motor matters to the Motor Industry Ombudsman.
Self-service options before you call
- Check the official site at cgso.org.za, which carries the current contact details and any online enquiry form.
- WhatsApp on 081 335 3005, which works over wifi and leaves you a written record.
- Email to [email protected], which gives you a written record of what you asked and when.
- Calling outside peak times. Monday mornings and the hour after 17:00 are usually the worst for South African contact centres.
What to have ready before you call
- A clear one line summary of what you need resolved.
- Your account, order or reference number if you already have one.
- The identity document or account holder details, since most South African providers verify who you are before discussing an account.
- Dates, amounts and any error message exactly as it appeared.
- A pen and paper for the reference number. Ask for one every time, because without it a follow up call starts from nothing.
Renting: deposits, evictions and the free tribunal
- A deposit must be held in an interest-bearing account under the Rental Housing Act, and the interest belongs to the tenant, not the landlord.
- Do a joint incoming inspection and keep a copy. The outgoing inspection is compared against it, and that comparison is what decides how much deposit comes back.
- A landlord may not evict without a court order, and may not lock you out, remove doors or cut services to force you out. Those are unlawful and are themselves grounds for a complaint.
- The Rental Housing Tribunal is free and its rulings are binding. It handles deposits, unlawful eviction, maintenance and unfair practices, and you do not need a lawyer.
- Sectional title and community scheme disputes go elsewhere, to the Community Schemes Ombud Service on 0800 000 653, also free of charge.
A managing agent works for the landlord or the body corporate, not for the tenant. Complaints about an estate agent or property practitioner go to the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority.
Complaints and escalation
If a first call does not resolve the matter, escalate through the agency’s own principal first, in writing. Complaints about an estate agent go to the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority. Rental disputes go to the provincial Rental Housing Tribunal, free of charge.
Keep a short written log of each contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the agent and the reference number. Most property complaint processes ask for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Avoiding fake Consumer Goods and Services Ombud contact numbers
Contact details for well known South African brands are a common target for impersonation. Numbers that look official appear in search ads, social media replies and cloned websites, and the person answering is not the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud.
- Reach Consumer Goods and Services Ombud through the official site at cgso.org.za rather than through a number in a search advert or a social media reply.
- The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud will never ask you for your full card number, PIN, CVV, online banking password or a one time PIN. Nobody legitimate needs those to help you.
- Treat any caller who creates urgency, asks you to install remote access software, or asks you to move money to a safe account as fraudulent, and end the call.
- If you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than calling back a number the caller gave you.
Related contact pages
Frequently asked questions
What is the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud contact number?
The routes are listed in the table above, with what each one is for. The main route is 0860 000 272. Confirm it on cgso.org.za before relying on it, since numbers are changed from time to time.
How do I know a Consumer Goods and Services Ombud number is genuine?
Check it against the official site at cgso.org.za. A number that only appears in a search advert, a social media reply or a third-party directory should not be trusted for anything involving your account, your money or your identity document.
What should I do if nobody resolves my query?
Ask for the complaint reference and the escalation path on your first call, then follow the escalation route described above. Keep the dates, agent names and reference numbers, because every formal complaint process will ask for them.
Can ContactDetails.co.za resolve this for me?
No. We are an independent directory, not the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, and we have no access to your account. Everything here is a routing aid so that you reach the correct official channel with the right information in hand.
Is there a cost to calling these numbers?
South African 0860 and 0861 numbers are charged at a share-call or standard rate depending on your provider, and 0800 numbers are toll free from a landline. Calls from a mobile are billed at your own operator’s rate, so check your plan if cost matters.
Contact routes on this page were checked against the official Consumer Goods and Services Ombud source on 24 August 2026. If you find a detail that has changed, the official source is always the authority.