Dodgy Deck: When a Property Defect is Your Problem, Not the Seller’s

May 26, 2026 | Property

“The buyer needs a hundred eyes, the seller not one.” (George Herbert) A Marina Da Gama property. A collapsed wooden deck. A purchase price of R1.55 million and repair costs claimed of just over R100 000. The facts are not complicated. But the legal battle...

Estate Planning: The Ambush Tax Lurking in the Wings

May 26, 2026 | Property, Tax, Wills and Estate Planning

“I can’t afford to die; I’d lose too much money.” (George Burns, comedian) At the heart of any estate plan lies your will. Pair it with a file containing all the information and documents that your executor and heirs will need to wind up your estate, and...

Your Property Purchase Collapses: Can You Get Your Deposit Back?

May 26, 2026 | Property

“A creature with a big enough head to make a contract should have the sense to make one it can keep.” (Barbara Kingsolver) A R1.725 million deposit. A bank guarantee that never arrived. A property that ultimately sold for significantly less than the original price....

Bodies Corporate and HOAs: Apply Your Rules With Common Sense, or Else

Apr 28, 2026 | Property

“Good rules make good neighbours.” (Old proverb, updated) The many benefits of living in a residential complex come, naturally enough, with obligations as well as rights. With its innate potential for conflict between competing rights, community living...

Buying a House: What Costs Will You Pay, and When?

Mar 26, 2026 | Property

“It is a comfortable feeling to know that you stand on your own ground. Land is about the only thing that can’t fly away.” (English novelist Anthony Trollope) With interest and home loan rates at their lowest since 2022, it’s no surprise that South...

Considering Using Sequestration to Recover Levies? Think Again

Mar 26, 2026 | Property

“The only man who sticks closer to you in adversity than a friend is a creditor.” (Evan Esar) Body corporates face a familiar problem. Owners fall into arrears. Levies go unpaid. Legal costs mount. The temptation is to reach for the most forceful remedy available....