IEA WC training and workshops
In order to continue to upskill estate agents, the Institute of Estate Agents, Western Cape, is running a mix of content relevant workshops and training sessions, for which agents will receive CPD points at one point per hour and a certificate for attending.
The sessions below are viewable and bookable online.
- The Graham Gavin series of workshops will take place on 15 October. The workshops are aimed at giving agents the tools to create the foundation of a real estate business based on repeat business and referrals.
He aims to teach attendees consistency in achieving results. This will be covered in an evening session to be held at the STBB Chambers in Claremont and will be run from 5pm to 7:45pm.
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Cape Town gets top housing awards
The City of Cape Town has received the 2014 Community Development Project of the Year Award in recognition of its Community Residential Unit (CRU) Refurbishment Programme - a community development programme developed by the City to change the lives of its tenants in CRUs.
“The way in which the City has contributed to a meaningful network of public-private partnerships, including the emphasis on the transfer of skills and community empowerment, has been one of the most recognised and admirable aspects of the programme. We are so proud of our Human Settlements Directorate for attaining this prestigious award and for the milestones which they have achieved over the past year in increasing the delivery of housing opportunities as a means of enabling redress,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli.
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Career opportunity in property sector
You can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job. University and school leavers across South Africa face this frustrating predicament, as well as a disheartening and tough job market.
The good news is that Redefine Properties is solving this dilemma for smart, young graduates by setting their careers in motion for a brighter future.
Redefine is recruiting graduates and school leavers from designated groups fresh out of university and school. This gives intelligent young achievers, who have successfully completed studies in various disciplines such as legal, human resources, internal auditing, finance and property-related fields, as well as school leavers who may not have the financial means to further their education, the opportunity to gain one year of hands-on business experience with a paid learnership that will give their careers a powerful kick-start.
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Changing property co-ownership terms
Contrary to what is often thought and said, co-ownership of property is not frowned upon by banks that are active in the property bond market, nor are the legal arrangements difficult to sort out.
This is according to Denver Vraagom, a conveyancing attorney with Gunston Attorneys, who says this type of investment, along with buy-to-rent, is once again on the increase and much in favour. He says co-ownership can be a highly effective way to get into the property market. He notes that it is important, however, that the initial agreement makes allowance for the various incidents and changes that could happen down the line, for example, one of the partners being unable to pay or wanting to opt out, or other family members or beneficiaries needing to be included in the ownership.
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Trustees cut my electricity - is it legal?
A Property24 reader asks:
I am in a situation where the secretary of the trustees decided to cut my electricity supply due to short payment of the levies. I have my own account with the municipality and we don’t share the bill with the body corporate. And without even following the legal process, my electricity was turned off.
Please advise what steps I should take.
Carryn Durham, specialist sectional titles lawyer at Paddocks, advises:
The trustees cannot disconnect electricity supplies without either a statutory right to do so or an order of court authorising the disconnection. It is illegal to "take the law into your own hands" in an attempt to force owners to pay outstanding levies.
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Levy allocation in mixed-use ST
While it is not the norm, there are many cases where a sectional title development is not a standard residential building, but has a mixed-use component to it, where there are commercial units on the ground floor and residential units above. In these cases, the owners sometimes debate the levy amounts in the different sections because of their different uses.
This is according to Michael Bauer, general manager of IHFM, who says the commercial component, in all likelihood, does not form part of the residential component and makes no use of the lift or any of the other amenities in the building, such as the gym or swimming pool.
However, he continues, it will subsidise the operational and maintenance costs of these because their participation quota dictates this. In cases such as these, the commercial owners would probably want their levies reduced by using a different allocation key; and this is possible in accordance to section 32 of the Sectional Titles Act, provided a special resolution is passed and written consent is given.
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