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Conveyancing and Property Transfers
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) plays a central role in reviewing and approving any subdivision or conversion of farmland. Their mandate isn’t commercial—it’s agricultural sustainability. This means land that is suitable for farming is automatically viewed as a strategic resource.
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The moment a seller signs and accepts a written offer, a property sale agreement comes into legal existence. But while the contract is technically valid from that point, it isn’t always immediately enforceable. Most sale agreements include suspensive conditions—clauses that suspend the legal effect of the contract until certain events take place.
The legal position is not just about whether a roof contains asbestos. It’s about how that asbestos is managed, what condition it’s in, and how the property is being used.
Buyers often walk into the process with a clear idea of their deposit and instalments—only to be blindsided by once-off and ongoing expenses that stretch their budgets thin. These aren't small, incidental charges. They can add up to tens of thousands of rands before you’ve even moved in.
Mortgage bonds in South Africa are governed by strict legal processes that protect both the lender and the borrower. From the registration of the bond at the Deeds Office to the restrictions placed on a bonded property, these legal frameworks determine what a homeowner can and cannot do with their property while the bond is in place.
While securing a mortgage bond may seem like a straightforward process—apply, get approved, and move in—the reality is far more complex. Banks don’t hand out home loans freely, and buyers must meet strict bond requirements before securing approval.
In South Africa, disclosure requirements under the Property Practitioners Act (PPA) create a framework for transparency, but when it comes to non-physical defects like a property’s history, the legal picture is far from clear.
In South Africa, a house may have been the site of a murder, suicide, or violent crime, yet buyers often move in completely unaware of its past. Unlike structural defects, which sellers are legally required to disclose, the psychological history of a home is not considered a material defect under South African law.
Approved building plans are not legally required to transfer ownership of a property in South Africa. But that doesn’t mean they won’t become important. In fact, in many cases, not having approved plans can hold up the sale — or cost someone a lot of money.
Between municipal rates, attorney fees, compliance certificates, and transfer duty, it’s easy to feel lost in a sea of line items. And if you’re not clear on who’s responsible for each cost, you could end up making assumptions that stall — or even sink — the deal.
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