Landlords need to be realistic about how much they can expect to earn from renting out their properties during the World Cup, says Tracy Pugin, director of Randburg Rentals.

Pugin, who deals with Seeff Property's World Cup rentals in Sandton and Randburg, says landlords should take note of a request from the government that South Africans not rip off visitors to the country.

This was in response to ongoing criticism from the international media about the prices of accommodation and airfares. The media suggest that the cost of airfares to a long-haul destination coupled with inflated prices for accommodation have put the World Cup outside the reach of average soccer fans. According to overseas media, this also explains why 700 000 tickets are yet to be sold.

"We have offered tenants to our landlords who have rejected them saying 'that's not enough'. I have tenants who are willing to pay R50 000 for 16 days and four landlords have rejected them for this very reason," says Pugin.

"In a normal rental market a four-bedroom house in Sandton or Randburg would bring in between R8 000 and R12 000 a month. We are offering five to six times more over a shorter period and are still finding owners saying a flat-out no."

She says some home owners actually stand to lose more than they gain by refusing to negotiate prices.

"Many unrealistic owners, who think if they hang on they'll secure bookings for higher rentals right at the end, need to think again. This is fine for those who live in the homes they are renting out and are only planning to vacate for the period booked and stay with friends or relatives. Those who are sitting with rental properties are losing money right now by turning away long-term leases in favour of short-term, unrealistic rentals during a month-long sporting event. Leases for up to two years would give them long-term guaranteed income and immediate revenue."

Pugin says not all landlords are being unreasonable. Some are prepared to drop prices drastically in favour of longer-term bookings.

"Sometimes we get booking enquiries where the owners want R1 000 a person a night but are willing to accept R300 a person because the bookings are for longer periods. They still make good returns if the stay is for 30 days rather than one week.

"When we get enquiries for up to two days, we pass these on to guest houses and bed-and-breakfast establishments. It is just not worth it to turn around visitors within 48 hours in a house, given the stringent inventory checks," she says.

Pugin says home owners who have put up their properties for rental and those still considering doing so need to realise that, because safety is of primary concern, the most-wanted accommodation is in homes in complexes with electric fences and 24-hour security. Frequently requested home comforts include broadband, gyms and spas.

In 2009, Seeff Properties and former SA footballer Gary Bailey joined forces to assist South African property owners let their homes to alleviate the shortage of accommodation for the World Cup.

At the launch of the project, Seeff Properties chairman Samuel Seeff said: "More than 55 000 fans still have nowhere to stay, which presents a business opportunity worth an estimated R400 million for the property market. The property sector could scoop up as much as half of the estimated R1 billion that is expected to be spent on accommodation across the country."

Bailey said this was no exaggeration as South Africa could expect between 250 000 and 400 000 visitors - at least 10 times the number during the Rugby World Cup in 1995.

"If you take 65 000 beds in Gauteng and assume that fans will be here for a minimum of one week, we get to 455 000 bed nights. At R1 000 a night, that's R455 million that will be spent in Gauteng alone," said Bailey.

Since the World Cup draw in December, Match, the official accommodation provider for Fifa, has relinquished almost half a million "room nights" countrywide, with 65 000 of them in the Western Cape. Match was quoted as saying demand for the rooms had been overestimated, so the association was handing them back to accommodation service providers to sell directly to the public.