01Selling
Four things in week one save six weeks at the end.
A seller controls more of the timeline than a buyer does, and almost all of it in the first fortnight. After that you are waiting on a municipality like everybody else.
- 90 days
- notice to cancel your bond
- 2–8 wks
- for a rates clearance certificate
- Day 1
- is when we apply for it
- Same day
- you are paid on registration
02Week one
Do these four the week the offer is accepted.
Give your bank ninety days’ notice
Today, by email, in writing. It can be withdrawn if the sale falls through and it costs nothing. Skipping it is the most common avoidable cost in a sale.
Send us your FICA documents
Identity, proof of address, tax number, marriage certificate. Every registered owner, not only the one who signed.
Tell us who holds the title deed
With a bond, the bank holds it. Without one, you or a previous attorney should. A lost deed adds three to six weeks.
Book the compliance inspections
Electrical, and where applicable gas, electric fence and beetle. Booking early means repairs happen while the clearance is being processed rather than afterwards.
03Clearance certificates
No certificate, no transfer. There is no way around this one.
Rates clearance certificate
Issued by The municipality
You pay several months of rates, refuse and water in advance. The council refunds what is not used after registration, usually within a few months. A disputed account has to be resolved before a certificate is issued at all.
Levy clearance certificate
Issued by The body corporate
Sectional title only. The managing agent certifies that levies are paid up. A special levy raised mid-sale is payable by whoever owns on the date it falls due — check the minutes.
Homeowners association consent
Issued by The association
In an estate, the association must consent to the transfer and certify that its levies are paid. Some also require the buyer to sign their rules.
04Compliance certificates
| Certificate | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical compliance | Always | Valid two years, and only if no work has been done since |
| Electric fence | If there is one | Separate certificate, separate inspector |
| Gas installation | If there is gas | Includes a built-in braai or a gas hob |
| Beetle | By local practice | Coastal areas mostly; usually a contract term rather than law |
| Plumbing | Cape Town | A municipal by-law, not a national requirement |
Book the inspection before you need the certificate. An inspector who finds a fault issues nothing until it is repaired, and the electrician who can do the repair is booked three weeks out.
05When you get paid
On registration
The purchase price is paid into our trust account before registration and stays there until the deeds office registers. It is yours, held for you, and it earns interest for you.
What comes off first
Settlement of your existing bond, the agent’s commission, the rates you paid in advance, and anything the offer makes you responsible for.
When it reaches you
Same day where registration is early enough, otherwise the next working day. We telephone before we email.
The rates refund
The council refunds the unused portion directly to you. It is slow. We give you the reference and the amount so you can chase it.
Just accepted an offer? Start with the bank notice.
Then send us the offer and we will do the rest of week one for you.