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The Paddock family

Paddock Family

The Paddock family – Rob, Mandy, Graham, Jennifer and Sam – share a little family time in between work life.

Special deal!

Sectional Title Survival Manual  Deeltittel Oorlewingsgids

Purchase a copy of the Sectional Title Survival Manual or the Deeltittel Oorlewingsgids by 15 October 2010 and receive a free copy of the Deeltittel Oorlewingsgids. Please use the term “Paddocks Press” in the promotional code field to ensure that you are eligible for this promotion.

Click here to order your copy now.

Candice Jooste – Coordinating your courses

Candice

Candice has been looking after Paddocks students since 2008. She was initially part of the marketing team, and became the first official Course Coordinator.

Since then, Candice has grown the course coordination department and she now manages the course coordination team.

She shares a bit about her work and hobbies here.

Click here to read more.

Free advice

Get your sectional title related questions answered free of charge by registering on the Sectional Titles Online website.

STO aims to empower the South African sectional title community through the open sharing of knowledge resources
(www.sto.co.za).

Click here to join STO.

Sectional title scheme management

The benchmark course in sectional title scheme management is going to be presented for the 11th time, starting on 6 December 2010. Registrations close 16 November 2010.

1478 people have already completed this course.

Do not be left behind. Click here for more information.

stsm

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Have you heard about GetSmarter?

Getsmarter

Our sister training firm GetSmarter presents professional (non-property) short courses throughout South Africa.

Click here for a list of GetSmarter courses for 2011.

Meet the team

The Paddocks Team

Contact details

Website: www.paddocks.co.za
Email: info@paddocks.co.za
Telephone: 021 685 4775

10 Park Rd
Rondebosch
Cape Town
7700


September 2010 (Volume 5, Issue 9)

Dear Paddocks Press Fan,

Prof. Graham Paddock Welcome to the September 2010 edition of Paddocks Press, which includes a range of interesting articles. Of particular interest for those readers who live in or act for community schemes that do not have pre-paid electricity meters is the article "Electricity bills | Are you prepared for the increase?" based on input from Sara McMath. If this applies to you, please read it today!

The third quarter of the parliamentary year saw the approval of the Sectional Titles Amendment Act by the Portfolio Committee for the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. This proposed legislation is currently with the National Council of Provinces and the period for comment to this body closed recently. Hopefully we will see promulgation either in the last quarter of 2010 or early in 2011.

The Parliamentary Committee for the Department of Human Settlements is currently busy deliberating on the content of the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Bill and this process will continue in the fourth quarter of the parliamentary year which will also see the commencement of that committee's consideration of the Community Schemes Ombud Service Bill. Hopefully these processes will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010 and we can look forward to promulgation early in 2011.

Kind Regards,

Graham


P.S. The University of Cape Town (Law@Work) Sectional Title Scheme Management course registrations are now open. Click here to learn more.

STSM and CSOS Bills

Prof Graham Paddock

Why do they need to be separated?

By Prof Graham Paddock

On the second occasion when the Department of Human Settlements Portfolio Committee deliberated on the STSM Bill, the first question to be addressed was the reason why this Bill needs to be separate from the CSOS Bill.

The two bills exist for fundamentally different purposes. The STSM Bill can be compared to the Share Blocks Control Act in that it regulates the management and control of a particular type of community scheme, whereas the CSOS Bill seeks to ensure the cost-effective resolution of disputes and good governance in all community schemes. (reading time: ± 2 mins)

Read the full article...


Electricity bills for sectional title

Paddocks

Are you prepared for the increase?

By the newsletter team

Student A regular Paddocks Press reader, Sara McMath, has drawn to our attention serious issues she and other ESCOM users are facing in some sectional title complexes. Sara says that the problem is that many complexes' electricity bills are charged as a single unit and thus the highest per-unit tariff applies.

The application to arrange for a special sectional title tariff must be made before the end of September 2010. (reading time: ± 2 mins)

Read the full article...


M.D. Mitchell v Die Beheerliggaam RNS Mansions

Neil de Goede

Simplifying a compounded issue

By Neil de Goede

Levy defaulters and their legal representatives often contest the liability to pay compound interest on arrear levies. They dispute their liability on the basis that compound interest can only be raised where agreement between the parties or statutory provision to that effect exist. According to Neil, the High Court has now given the body corporate and levy debtors an unequivocal answer in its ruling.

In this article, Neil looks at the judgment of the case in question and provides some insight into what this means for sectional titles. (reading time: 1 min)

Read the full article...


Monthly student profile

Paddocks

Alison Hagemann

By the newsletter team

Student Alison Hagemann is a long-time Paddocks student – she studied the UCT Sectional Title Scheme Management course in 2007, the Paddocks Sectional Title Bookkeeping course in 2009 and is currently doing the Paddocks Home Owners’ Association Management course. She took a bit of time out to tell us about her work and view on life. (reading time: ±1 min)

Read full article...


Amending scheme rules step by step

Jennifer Paddock

Jen’s 8-step recipe for making rules at meetings

By Jennifer Paddock

There are two types of rules prescribed under the regulations to the Sectional Titles Act, 1986 (the Act) – management and conduct rules. These rules are generally applicable to all sectional title schemes, but do not cater for the peculiarities of every scheme and therefore the Act makes provision for their amendment.

This article sets out, step by step, the correct legal procedure to follow when amending scheme rules by taking a resolution at a meeting. (reading time: ±1 min)

Read full article...


Geysers

Robert Paddock

Maintenance

By Rob Paddock

When I was young, our geyser burst the night before our family home went on show for the first time. I still remember looking up at the water pouring through the ceiling boards and wondering what contraption could possibly cause so much damage. The good news is that the house sold. The bad news (20 years later) is that the geysers are still generally housed in the attic and still burst at the most inconvenient times.

In this article, I hope to explain what a geyser is, how it works and a few things you should look out for. (reading time: ±2 mins)

Read full article...


Q&A with the Professor

Paddocks

Monthly Q&A

By Prof Graham Paddock

This month, Prof Paddock helps out a concerned chairperson with regards to a farewell gift.

Question: I am chairperson on a body corporate where the previous trustees and chairperson “resolved”, without seeking the owners' permission, that a farewell gift of R57,000 should be paid to the caretaker as a thank you for 17 years of service… I can’t find a definite part of the Act that says we have to pay this money out, but I also can't find anything that says we don't have to pay it out. (reading time: ± 1min)

Read full article...


Upcoming training courses

UCT (Law@Work) Sectional Title Scheme Management course
Registrations close: 26 November 2010
Be equipped to manage schemes according to the legal aspects of scheme management with this benchmark course.
Click here for further details on this course.

2011 course dates to be confirmed.