Advice &amp; News

Property Finance

Fixed vs variable interest rates

You’ve finally found your perfect home, made an offer and applied for finance to assist with your purchase. But when you receive the mortgage letter from the bank, you’re left trying to understand unfamiliar terms and concepts including prime interest rates, repo rates, and fixed or variable interest. Here’s what you need to know to make sense of it all.

July 18, 2019

Subdivision of agricultural land

There are several contexts in which it is necessary or desirable to subdivide agricultural land. Commonly, this happens when an individual wishes to leave property to his or her children through a will. While according to South African law, a testator may dispose of their property in any way he or she sees fit, there are certain limitations when it comes to subdividing agricultural land.

July 18, 2019

Amendments to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA)

FICA is the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2001 as amended by the FIC Amendment Act 1 of 2017 which amendments came into operation on 2 April 2018.

July 18, 2019

Curatorship – what does it mean to be put under curatorship?

There are times when a person is no longer able to manage his or her financial affairs or to make well informed decisions. In situations where this is deemed to be the case, South African law makes provision for a curator to take responsibility for the individual’s affairs on his or her behalf to ensure that these are managed effectively.

July 1, 2019

Capacity to represent a company

A duly incorporated company, as a legal entity, has all the legal powers and capacity of an individual yet it cannot negotiate, enter into contracts and sign documents on its own. For this, an individual needs to be appointed to represent the company.

July 1, 2019

4 reasons to subdivide your property

Reasons to subdivide your property could include: financially benefiting, splitting assets between your children or simplifying life by downsizing.

July 1, 2019

Sectional Title Governance

Sectional title units and body corporate rules

Here is what you need to know about buying into a Sectional Title Scheme and what to expect from Body Corporate Rules.

May 31, 2019

Property Finance

Transfer and bond calculators

Buying a home is an overwhelming enough task without being hit by unforeseen costs. The best way of avoiding unpleasant and costly surprises is by carefully looking at your affordability and making use of convenient tools such as transfer cost calculators and bond calculators to simplify the process.

May 31, 2019

The role of a Transfer Attorney in South Africa

Many sellers and buyers, particularly those embarking on their first property purchase, may not be entirely clear on what a transfer attorney is or what their role is in the property transfer process. Since a transfer attorney or conveyancer plays such a significant part in the process, we’ve outlined some of the key points that buyers and sellers should be aware of.

May 31, 2019

Buying property through a company – taking up shares

While many of us are more familiar with situations where a property is purchased by an individual or individuals (classified as natural persons), it is also possible for a property to be purchased in the name of a legal entity, most commonly a company.

May 6, 2019

Purchase and ownership of vacant land

Building on vacant land has unmatched possibilities when creating your dream home. There are, however, a few other aspects to consider when purchasing vacant land.

May 6, 2019

Minors and immovable property

While the process for transferring ownership of immovable property remains largely the same in cases where one of the parties to the transfer is a minor, the minor’s contractual capacity must be carefully considered.

March 24, 2019

Marriage in or out of community of property?

The marital regime selected at the time of entering into a marriage will have a significant impact on how ownership of property is dealt with within the marriage, which is why it is important to understand the different options available and select the one that best suits you.

March 24, 2019

How to ensure a quick and smooth property transfer

There will always be elements in a property transaction that will be out of your control as the purchaser or seller, however some elements can be managed in a way as to avoid unnecessary delays.

March 24, 2019