Consumer rights: Beware ‘fake’ credit providers
With the recent celebration of World Consumer Rights Day, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) has dispensed some sage advice for consumers.
Commemorated annually on 15 March, this year’s World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) was commemorated under the theme, ‘Making digital marketplaces fairer’.
“In line with the 2018 international theme, consumers should not make any upfront payment to credit providers when applying for a loan. It is unlawful for credit providers to charge consumers any upfront fees,” said NCR Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Obed Tongoane.
An upfront fee is a payment that some credit providers charge consumers before granting them loans.
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Cape water crisis highlights bigger challenge for property owners and developers
Landlords and commercial developers will need to urgently rethink sustainability issues if they want their properties to remain attractive. With the water crisis in the Western Cape the most immediate problem at hand, it’s highlighting a bigger environmental trend that will need to be addressed sooner than most think.
While Cape Town residents are now fairly used the daily task of carting water from their JoJo tanks to their loos, the rest of the country is not far behind when it comes to facing uncertain water security and even their own Day Zero.
After reassessing its magnitude and severity, national government has declared the drought a national disaster in three drought-stricken provinces, including the area around Cape Town. However, the impact of our water scarcity goes far beyond the current low rainfall cycle.
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New optimism like ‘rocket fuel’ for Joburg’s luxury homes market
Strange as it may seem, there is a stock shortage looming now in the luxury sector of the Johannesburg property market, because astute buyers have for the past few months been hurrying to snap up high-end homes being offered at excellent prices.
So says Rory O’Hagan, CEO of the Chas Everitt Luxury Portfolio division, who notes that there has also been a surge of upgrading recently among existing owners in this sector.
“The main reason for this sharp increase in demand is, of course, the dramatic lift in business and consumer confidence since December and the changes in the ANC leadership structures which heralded the appointment of a new President.
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Three things I wish someone told me as a first-time home buyer
Wondering if it may be time to buy your first home? Here are a few tips to think about before you get started.
Seeff Richard’s Bay MD Elaine Chetty says: “As I approach my 18th year as a homeowner, I decided to take a moment to reflect on all that I had on my mind as my husband and I prepared to make the biggest investment of our lives.”
Chetty shares what she wishes she’d known sooner in the journey to homeownership:
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