Frequently Asked Questions

Sectional title is a form of property ownership used in multi-level apartment blocks, townhouses and a variety of other developments with shared facilities and areas.

It allows individual ownership of part of a property (called a “section”, which is generally an apartment or townhouse) and joint or shared ownership of all the other areas (called the “common property”, which includes the driveway, gardens, foyers, lifts, stairways, roofs, etc.).

Every section is allocated a “participation quota” that determines the size of the share in the common property that is co-owned by the owner of that section.

Every owner is a member of the “body corporate”, which is a legal entity that exists to control, manage and maintain all the common property. Often a “managing agent”, being a person who professionally manages sectional title properties, is employed to manage the common property on the body corporate’s behalf.

Sectional title developments can be residential, commercial, retail, mixed use (eg. commercial and residential), serviced apartments, retirement villages, caravan parks or resorts.

Sectional title schemes are created and managed under the Sectional Titles Act, 1986 (with amendments), the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act, 2011 and the Community Schemes Ombud Service Act, 2011. However, home owners’ associations are not governed by any national legislation. They are either established as non-profit companies or as common law associations, created to manage particular communities, often “gated” and operated separately from the surrounding properties.

The courses and workshops are presented a number of times throughout the year:

Five times a year:

• Free Basics of Sectional Title short course
• Free Basics of Home Owners’ Association short course

Three times a year:

• UCT Scheme Manager – Sectional Title short course
• Sectional Title Trustee Training short course
• Sectional Title Trustee Training 1-day workshop

Twice a year:

• HOA Management short course
• Start and Manage a ST Managing Agency short course
• Dispute Resolution in Community Schemes short course
• Exclusive Use Areas in ST Schemes half-day workshop

Have a look at the specific course page on our website or contact us to find out when the next presentation of the course you are interested in starts.

Paddocks has been involved in online training for over 10 years and has trained more than 6,000 students throughout South Africa during this time.

On successful completion, you will either receive a certificate issued by the University of Cape Town or issued by Paddocks. The certificate is posted to you at the end of the course.

This depends on a number of factors: which course you sign up for, how you study, how much time you are prepared to invest in the course and how much you want to gain from it. On average students completing the certificate courses spend roughly 8 hours per week to complete all of the required elements of the weekly module.

You are required to have access to the Internet, read and write documents using Microsoft Word and Adobe Reader. A senior certificate is also recommended, but is not required.

All Paddocks’ online learning models allow you to study when and where you want. The Paddocks’ learning model is not only flexible, but also provides you with a structured and supportive learning experience to ensure that you get the most out of your studies. It also includes personalised support, both for administrative and content-related matters.

Each module of each course contains interactive learning tools, including:

• Course notes: all of the learning material you need to complete the course
• Video lectures: interesting video clips to make the material more engaging, or to illustrate difficult concepts
• Quizzes: interactive quizzes with instant feedback to help you gauge your learning
• Discussion forums: a place to ask for help and to interact with your teacher and fellow students
• Additional resources: a wealth of additional materials, links and resources to further your knowledge

If compared to an ordinary attendance-based college – where students arrive at class, receive tuition on a number of topics, are tested and can socialise – Paddocks’ online learning model is quite similar. Students register online, receive course notes, watch video lectures and interact with remotely located lecturers. They also interact with fellow students on the online discussion forums, submit and receive feedback on assignments, complete exams and take quizzes. In the end, the goal is to assist students in learning and obtaining approval of their learning achievements. In this regard, Paddocks’ internet-based learning environment is no different to traditional attendance-based education.

The UCT Scheme Manager – Sectional Title short course is presented in conjunction with the University of Cape Town. South African universities obtain accreditation for their qualifications through the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). This body is recognised as the Education and Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA) by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

Yes, you are welcome to post your question on Sectional Titles Online (see resources tab) where one of the community members will answer you. Otherwise feel free to browse through our article library and blog posts available in our resources tab – we may have written an article that answers your question.

Alternatively, we have a R390.00 (Incl. VAT) for a quick 10 minute telephonic consultation.

Our Sectional Title Consultants are available to advise you on your particular sectional title or home owners’ association issues in two ways:

1. Private Consulting – Become our client. We’ll take your instructions, examine the documentation relating to your matter and, if necessary, inspect your scheme and attend meetings with you. We’ll give you bespoke and confidential legal advice, either verbally or in the form of a written opinion, write legal letters for you and so on. We’re also available to act as mediators or arbitrators or to represent you in these dispute resolution forums.
2. Paddocks Club – subscribe to our online Club and get access to our experts who will give you their ‘off the cuff’ advice to your issues. Because all members can see the advice given to other members, the Club provides members with a powerful coaching and learning tool. Other features of the Club include weekly video tutorials, newsletters, a resource library as well as digital versions of the Sectional Survival Manual, the Act and prescribed rules which members can search using our ‘navigator’ tool.

You can order the book you want online by clicking “Order Now” on the website’s book page or you can contact us and place your order via email, fax or telephone.

Delivery via registered mail (which can be tracked) is free when ordering up to 4 books, but should you want your book/s couriered to you, we can send it to you counter-to-door (currently R200) for up to 2 books and takes 1-3 days to be delivered to you.

The Paddocks eBooks are electronic versions (ePub files) of our printed publications, which can be stored and read on an eReader, computer, or mobile devices.

You can access and read eBooks on an eReader, or through software on a computer or mobile device (smartphone or tablet). Depending on your computer or mobile device, additional software may be needed.

There are various types of ePub readers for both operating systems, below are some suggestions:

Windows:

• Adobe Digital Editions
• Icecream
• Calibre
• FBReader
• ePub reader

Macintosh:

• iBooks
• Adobe Digital Editions
• Kindle
• Stanza Desktop
• Calibre
• OverDrive Read
• BookReader

Currently, there is no difference between the printed publication and the eBook version – the eBooks available are electronic versions of the physical publications.

Paddocks may, in the future, release publications that are only available as eBooks.

The Paddocks eBook store allows you to download your purchased ePub file/s twice – once at the end of the purchasing process, and then once more through your account in our online eBook store.

Your login details for the online eBook store will be emailed to you during the purchasing process.

Should you lose your ePub file for a second time, you will need to repurchase the eBook.

We do not offer free upgrades on any publications, the same will apply for eBooks. Should you want a new edition that has been released, you will need to purchase it. Keep an eye on Paddocks social media for promotions and discount codes.

No, you cannot share your eBook ePub file.

Please see our terms and conditions for more information.

Paddocks eBooks, once purchased, cannot be returned, refunded or exchanged due to the nature of the product.

Please see our terms and conditions for more information.

Purchasers of Paddocks eBooks are entitled to copy and use limited extracts from these publications for their own personal research, study or other purposes, but they may not copy entire chapters or substantial parts of the publication. Any extracts from the eBooks may not be used for commercial gain.

You are welcome to call into our offices, on 021 686 3950, or email us at info@paddocks.co.za, for any assistance with, or information on, the eBooks, purchase process, or accessing your purchased eBook ePub files.

An account is created for you automatically as part of the purchase process, and you are sent your login details via email.

You do not need to access (log into) your account in order to complete a purchase, but you can use your account to access purchase details and your eBook ePub files at a later stage.

You will be required to give us some personal information during the purchase process, all of which is used to create an account in our online store as well as populate a tax invoice. This information includes your name, email address, phone number, billing address, business name and VAT number. You can access this information in your account, and see our terms and conditions and privacy policy for further information.

We use a secure 3rd party application to facilitate card payments for eBooks, and therefore do not collect or store any financial information from that process other than success/unsuccessful payments in order to process the purchase.