We would like to wish you a Happy Festive Season! Click on the video below to watch the Paddocks Team singing our own Paddocks Festive Season Song! (please allow a few seconds to load) {vimeo}8072820|422|320{/vimeo}

By the Paddocks training team The 8th presentation of the UCT (Law@Work) Sectional Title Scheme Management Certificate Course has come to an end. We held very successful one-day workshops in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. We took some pictures for you to share in the experience.   

By Professor Graham Paddock Alastair passed away most unexpectedly last week after suffering a stroke. He was just 42 years old. He leaves his wife, Gertrud, his parents, Murray and Gill and his brother, Iain.   After qualifying as a lawyer in 1990, Alastair completed his articles in Johannesburg. He was admitted to practice and…

By Jennifer Paddock In sectional title schemes the chairperson can be mistaken for (or decide to be) “the king of the castle”. But although a committed chairperson may well work harder and take on more responsibility than the rest of the trustees, s/he does not have individual executive powers and may not make decisions relating…

By Jennifer Paddock Reconfiguration of a unit Q1: I own a townhouse in a sectional complex and put in a new open plan kitchen in the lounge area. This has resulted in a smallish room becoming available for use as a study or small bedroom (the former kitchen). Now the trustees have demanded that I…

Levy stabilization funds are common in sectional title schemes designed for retired persons. The rationale behind them is that retired persons generally live off a fixed income and cannot afford to pay large increases in their ordinary levies each year. These funds allow bodies corporate to either set the ordinary levies of their owners at…

By Rob Paddock   In my last article for Paddocks Press we looked at what paint is and the purpose it serves in protecting your building from the elements. In this article I will outline the process of repainting a building, as well as the golden rule of repainting your building. Golden Rule Re-painting your building…

Have you ever really noticed the specific factors that make a building look unkempt? We have recently purchased a beautiful Victorian building built way back in 1902 when pride and care was put into the building process. The quality of the craftsmanship and building work is just superb even a century later. Why then does…

Municipality meter calculation problems Q1: In a free-standing unit complex how do you calculate the water and lights in a correct way when there is a municipality meter for the whole complex but each and every unit has its individual water and electricity meters? We are having constant problems with these calculations as the body…

By Kate Blake The 9th presentation of the extremely popular UCT (Law@Work) Sectional Title Scheme Management Certificate Course is due to start on the 30th of November 2009. We have asked three of our past students to share some of their experience of the course with our Paddocks Press readers. The 6-month part-time course is…

Trustees are elected by the members of the body corporate to deal with matters of the body corporate i.e. control, manage and administer the affairs of the body corporate.  Trustees need to be aware of the statutory functions of a body corporate in respect of the insurance:

With the impending publication of Sectional Title Scheme Management and Community Scheme Ombud Service Bills for public comment, the issue of regulation of the managing agency profession has come sharply into focus. In this article I examine the existing position and the suggestion made by Dr. Gerhard Jooste, a leading managing agent, that it would…

In celebration of our students who are as passionate about sectional title education as we are, here is a list of Paddocks students who have completed 3 or more training courses with us: Charles Baker: UCT Advanced Sectional Title Scheme Management Certificate Course; UCT Sectional Title Scheme Management Certificate Course; UCT Sectional Title Specialist Realtor…

As the owner of a unit in a sectional title scheme you are subject to more restrictions than you would be if you were the owner of a freehold property. When you want to make alterations to your section you may well need body corporate approval as well as that local authority consent before you…

Generally, people don’t think about roof maintenance until a massive leak appears while they are away on holiday in Barbados escaping the rainy season back home.  While the unit owner is sipping pina coladas on the beach, water is pouring onto their recently cleaned carpets. This permanently infuses their carpets with a lingering musky smell…