Paddocks Press – May 2021
The May 2021 edition of Paddocks Press is now available.
CSOS has a new Chief Ombud: Time for performance feedback
The Community Scheme Ombud Service has been in operation for over six years and it now has a new chief ombud, Mr. Adv. Boyce Mkhize, who took office on 1 April 2021. So we need to look at the CSOS, assess the effect it has had on the community scheme industry as well as the…
Who is responsible to ensure body corporate compliance with relevant legislation?
When engaging with the students on our Paddocks UCT Scheme Manager – Sectional Title short course online forum recently, I noted the telltale signs of widespread panic among those who work as managing agents. The root cause of the distress appeared to be the fast-approaching deadline for schemes to become compliant with the POPI Act….
Q&A – 2021 05
By the Paddocks Club team Below are examples of two questions on the Paddocks Club discussion forum, to show you what is available to our Community members! Pest control maintenance and responsibility Member’s question: Good day Paddocks, We have a sectional title scheme where there are a lot of issues regarding pest control and where…
Four things you should know about the POPI Act
The Protection of Personal Information Act (more commonly known as POPI Act) came into operation on 1 July 2020. A grace period of 1 year has been granted to all organisations to ensure compliance with the POPI Act, and the deadline of 30 June 2021 is fast approaching. This article is not a step-by-step guide…
New and upcoming eBooks!
What am I doing—apart from enjoying my semi-retirement? Working on a variety of new books. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Navigator eBook was launched last week. This is something we have been working on for some time. The seed for this book was planted twenty years ago when a Sectional Title Scheme Manager short course…
Q&A – 2021 04
By the Paddocks Club team Below are examples of two questions on the Paddocks Club discussion forum, to show you what is available to our Community members! Can a utility section be owned without owning a primary section? Member’s question: Good day Paddocks, Is there a principle in law that a person must own a…
Can CSOS adjudicate disputes with regard to parking?
Readers may recall that at the end of September 2020 I questioned the correctness of the part of the judgment in Kingshaven Homeowners’ Association v Botha and Others (6220/2019) [2020] ZAWCHC 92 in which the judge agreed with the Community Schemes Ombud Service adjudicator’s view that she could not have ordered an owner to stop…
Sectional title levies – What am I paying for?
One of the primary complaints received from owners in sectional title schemes around the country is, “My levies are too high, what can I do?” In order to understand why levies can be considered “too high”, we first need to understand why levies, or contributions, are necessary in the first place. Please note that…
Q&A – 2021 03
By the Paddocks Club team Below are examples of two questions on the Paddocks Club discussion forum, to show you what is available to our Community members! Who pays for maintenance of a sliding door that is entirely within a section? Member’s question: Good day Paddocks, In a particular body corporate, the balcony forms part…
Paddocks Press – February 2021
The February 2021 edition of Paddocks Press is now available.
CSOS: Brief Analyses of the First Five Western Cape Orders
The Community Schemes Ombud Service has published a reasonable number of adjudicator orders, all of which are available at https://www.csos.org.za/csos_adjudication_orders/. I have added to these various orders that have been sent to me and, excluding orders that are merely formal or record settlements, in total, I now have the text of 83 Gauteng orders, 83…
Why COVID-19 is not an excuse to delay an Annual General Meeting
The global death toll from the coronavirus soared past the two million mark on Friday, 15 January 2021, just over a year after the virus was first detected. It is no surprise, therefore, that this pandemic has changed the way we do everything. One practical aspect which has been affected, in the context of sectional…