Tag: Property

The administrators of residential complexes tread a fine line. They must implement and enforce conduct rules for the good of the complex as a whole, but without unjustly impinging on the constitutional rights of individuals.
A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision, granting a sight-impaired owner a limited right to exclusive use of a section of common area for his washing machine, has brought this balancing act into sharp focus. We discuss the reasoning behind that outcome, with some suggestions on how bodies corporate and homeowners’ associations should approach this sort of situation in future.

It’s a really exciting time, buying a house, particularly if it’s your first! Don’t forget, however, that you will have to pay a variety of costs over and above the purchase price. What are those costs and when must you pay them? Do they impact your ability to afford the house you have your eye on?
We’ll address those questions with a checklist of costs you should budget for. It’s a good idea to work these into a cash flow forecast so you aren’t ambushed by any unpleasant financial surprises during the transfer process.

Phew! No major tax increases are planned, and taxpayers will benefit from zero “bracket creep” across a range of taxes. While property sellers and buyers will be disappointed that transfer duty thresholds have not increased, there’s reason to get very excited about the 50% increase in the primary residence CGT exclusion from R2m to R3m.

Read on for an illustrative calculation of CGT savings, some of the more important tax tables, and a calculator to show you how much more or less you will be paying in taxes.

Article courtesy of Law Dot News |Family Law | Property Love and the Law: Cohabiting? Get Your House in Order Now “All you need is love… and a good lawyer.” (Anonymous) February, with its Valentine’s Day chocolates, roses and declarations of undying love, should be a month for romance, not legal niceties. But in the real world, love and theRead more

Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Property - Parking Disputes Parking Disputes and the “Reasonable Neighbour” Test “Wouldn’t it be nice to get on with me neighbours?” (from “Lazy Sunday” by  Small Faces) Maintaining friendly relations with the neighbours, or at least an “I’ll ignore you if you ignore me” sort of neutrality, has probably been a primary aimRead more

Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Property - Property Transfer The Transfer Process in a Nutshell “Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.” (Will Rogers) Spring is in the air and, as the annual uptick in property sales kicks in, let’s address two questions commonly asked by both sellers and buyers who are unsure aboutRead more

Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Property | Property Law Panhandle Access to Properties – The Mistakes to Avoid “You aren’t buying a house, you’re buying a lifestyle.” (Anon) As more and more residential properties are subdivided and developed, an increasing number of homes are effectively cut off from direct access to the nearest public street or road. That’sRead more

Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Delict Claims |Civil Claims | Property Neighbours’ Facebook Feud... “Dance like no one is watching, but text, post, and email like it will be read in court one day.” (Anon) When can the target of rude comments and insults on a community Facebook group sue? The High Court recently grappled with a communityRead more

Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Property | Property Law | Property Act Your House Burns to the Ground: Can You Hold the Seller Liable? “Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides.” (William Shakespeare, in King Lear) A recent High Court judgment confirms, yet again, that if a property seller knows about a hidden defect and keeps it quiet,

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Article courtesy of Law Dot News | Life Partners - Family Law | Property | Wills and Estate Planning “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of bandages and adhesive tape.” (Groucho Marx) It’s a perennial topic of dispute in our courts. A couple lives together, sharing the same roof and everything else in perfect happiness and harmony. UntilRead more