A body corporate is a community of owners living in a complex where a harmonious living environment is expected. Members of a body corporate own an undivided share of the common property together with their units and contribute to the general expenses of the scheme via their levy contributions. It follows that owners expect to have a say in decisions made...

Conduct rules are rules that have been created to encourage harmonious living in a sectional title scheme and to uphold the standards by which the buildings and other areas in a scheme are maintained. There are eight prescribed conduct rules as laid out in the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act; they are: Keeping of animals, reptiles and birds Refuse and waste...

It is a common myth that exclusive use areas do not form part of the common property. The truth is that exclusive use areas (EUAs) do form part of the common property; however, the owner has exclusive use of this area – for example, an enclosed garden. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act No 8 of 2011 determines that it...

Being a property manager – or more accurately a portfolio manager – can be a thankless job. The reality is that most of our calls involve clients complaining about something that is wrong at their building but this is our job: we have to serve our clients with patience, humility and compassion. We accept that our role is essentially to...