“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing… If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”...
Braai Chain Hauled Over the Coals for Hidden Service Charges and Fined R1m
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Do You Need a Second Will for Your Overseas Assets?
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” (Pablo Picasso) If...
3 Steps to Buying Your First House
“Happiness is… buying your first home” (Anon) Few things in life can compare to the joy of finally crossing the threshold of your first home. If you are like most of us, you have been dreaming of this day for years and years – it has finally arrived! The financial...
How the Property Practitioners Act Affects You as a Property Seller, Buyer, Landlord or Tenant from 1 February
“… a property is an asset to enhance economic activity, growth and development…” (extract from preamble to the Property Practitioners Act) The Property Practitioners Act (“PPA”) finally comes into effect on 1 February 2022. It has major ramifications for everyone...
Selling Your Home: How to be Lucky this Holiday Season
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher) History has not recorded whether Seneca himself was “lucky” in the property market of his time (Rome’s land registration records from two millennia ago...
Community Scheme Disputes and the Ombud’s Powers to Resolve Them
“[The Ombud} has been given wide inquisitorial powers whereby such disputes can be resolved as informally and cheaply as possible by means of qualified conciliators and adjudicators, without the need for legal representation, save in certain limited circumstances.”...
Property Sellers: Why, How and When to Choose Your Own Conveyancer
“A great deal is at stake in the transfer of fixed property. It is generally the largest single asset that a person owns and the transaction for the purchase or sale of a fixed property is probably the most important contract undertaken by individuals” (Law Society of...
Estate Planning and Wills: A Checklist to Protect Your Family
“Don’t fear death, plan for it” (Anon) Amazingly, here we are in the middle of a deadly pandemic yet still some 70% - 80% of working South Africans are said to have no will in place. That’s crazy for two reasons – Without a will your loved ones are exposed When you...
Employee Looting and Strike Violence: When Is Dismissal Fair?
Employee looting and/or violence can take place during strike action or it can occur during non-workplace incidents such as the recent looting and public disorder sprees. In both cases employers need to take action, but with care. Addressing firstly the “strike”...
11 POPIA Questions to Ask Yourself Before 30 June 2021
Note: This is a complex topic and there is no substitute for tailored professional advice. What is set out below is of necessity no more than a simplified summary of some practical highlights. You and your business are at substantial risk if you aren’t fully compliant...
Landlord Liable for a Tragic “Freak” Flood Drowning
“Nature has the ability to spring a surprise when least expected” (extract from the judgment below)A recent High Court decision dealing with the tragic drowning of a toddler highlights once again the legal dangers faced by property owners who let out accommodation to...