A burst sewage pipe may have been the final trigger—but the decision to relocate the Johannesburg Deeds Office has been a long time coming. After years of complaints, structural issues, and service delays, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has confirmed that the deeds registry will move to new premises in central Johannesburg.

For conveyancers, estate agents, bond attorneys, and anyone involved in property transfers, this shift has immediate—and long-term—implications.

The Current Crisis - Unsafe Conditions and Disruption

The building at 101 Rissik Street, which has housed the Johannesburg Deeds Office for years, has been in a state of disrepair for some time. The situation escalated in April 2024 when a sewage leak flooded the basement, prompting widespread outcry and renewed pressure from the legal profession for decisive action.

Attorneys and deeds office staff have been working under increasingly hazardous conditions, including:

• Persistent power and water failures
• Poor air circulation and broken ventilation systems
• Inadequate lighting and unsafe fire exits
• Now, most recently, raw sewage affecting parts of the premises

The incident forced partial shutdowns and continues to limit the office’s ability to operate at full capacity. While services are still being rendered, they are doing so under strain, and practitioners are already experiencing delays in lodgements and registrations.

A New Address – But Not Yet

The DALRRD, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), has confirmed that the office will relocate to 202–212 Anderson Street, Marshalltown. The new site is owned by the DPWI and is currently undergoing refurbishment.

However, the timeline is anything but immediate. The new building is only expected to be ready for occupation in September 2026—a full 16 months away at minimum.
In the meantime, the Rissik Street office will continue to operate at reduced functionality, and plans are in place for staff to move into an interim building in September of 2025.

What This Means for Property Practitioners

The impact of this situation goes far beyond inconvenience. The Johannesburg Deeds Office handles all property registrations in South Gauteng, including residential and commercial transfers, bond registrations, cancellations, and endorsements. If the office is not functioning optimally, everything slows down.

Key consequences include:

• Lodgement backlogs due to reduced staff and compromised infrastructure
• Longer registration turnaround times, affecting time-sensitive transactions
• Increased likelihood of wasted costs in deals that are delayed or fall through
• Limited access to records or urgent queries handled in person

For professionals involved in high-volume transactions, these issues directly affect client expectations, deal timelines, and trust in service delivery.

Johannesburg Attorneys Association Response

The Johannesburg Attorneys Association (JAA) issued a strongly worded letter on 29 April 2025, condemning the slow pace of response and calling for urgent interim measures. Among the points raised:

• Staff and users continue to operate in a legally and ethically unacceptable environment
• There is no contingency plan or temporary relocation in place
• The relocation date is welcomed—but the delay is unreasonable given the severity of the current conditions

The JAA also highlighted that mortgage approvals, developer timelines, estate agent commissions, and legal processes are all being negatively affected.

Weekly Updates Promised, But Uncertainty Remains

The DALRRD has committed to providing weekly operational updates, outlining the status of services, delays, and system availability. However, without meaningful interim infrastructure improvements or a functioning alternative site, these updates may offer limited relief for those waiting on urgent property registrations.

For now, conveyancers and stakeholders are advised to:

• Adjust client expectations around timelines
• Maintain close contact with deeds office contacts for up-to-date progress
• Monitor the DALRRD and JAA for updates on service availability
• Document delays and their impact, particularly where financial consequences may follow

What Lies Ahead?

The decision to relocate the Johannesburg Deeds Office is long overdue. But while the move is welcome in principle, service instability will remain a reality until at least late 2026. For legal practitioners, buyers, sellers, and financial institutions, this presents a continued challenge that demands patience, strategic communication, and detailed contingency planning.

As with most infrastructure breakdowns, the real cost is borne by the public and professionals who rely on systems that cannot afford to fail.