The Sectional Title Schemes Management Act (STSMA) provides clear instructions as to how improvements should be handled in sectional title schemes. In the blog post below, we detail below some guidelines on how to deal with improvements in your unit or exclusive use area, and improvements on common property and the requirements for making such improvements.   Improvement of your unit Owners are...

Like any business, a body corporate is dependent on the income it derives from its operations. In the case of a body corporate, this income comes from its members paying levies without which the body corporate cannot function. How are levies calculated? The budget must be tabled for review and approval by the scheme members at every annual general meeting (AGM). The...

Owners in a sectional title scheme who own more than one unit next to, or above, each other can opt to have their sections consolidated into one. While this is not a complicated process, it does need to comply with a few regulations of the Sectional Title Act. Why consolidate two sections? The consolidation of sections is normally determined by two factors...

The appointment of a body corporate chairperson rests with the trustees elected at each annual general meeting (AGM). This appointment is not made by the members in the scheme but by the elected trustees at the first trustee meeting following the AGM. The chairperson has many duties that they need to fulfil, least of which is to chair and run the...

One of the many reasons a sectional title complex or estate is so attractive to property owners is the sense of security it provides. What happens when your apartment or house is broken into, who is responsible for your loss? Is it the body corporate, the estate manager, the security company or the managing agent? Responsibility to secure In a sectional title scheme, the owner is...