Paddocks Press Newsletter

Must Pre-2016 Sectional Title Rules Be Submitted to CSOS? By Jennifer Paddock When the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act No. 8 of 2011 (STSMA) came into operation on 7 October 2016, it fundamentally changed the legal landscape for sectional title scheme rules. Many trustees still ask the same question:   If our scheme’s rules were…

Who Pays for Resultant Damage in Sectional Title? By Jennifer Paddock The question of who is responsible for resultant damage is one of the most common, and often misunderstood, issues in sectional title schemes. Consider this familiar scenario: a leaking shower base in one section causes damage to the ceiling of the section below. Who…

Can CSOS Adjudicators Award Legal Costs in Arrear Collections? By Jennifer Paddock For bodies corporate struggling with escalating arrear levies, the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) is frequently promoted as a swift, affordable alternative to traditional court proceedings. Yet a persistent question undermines its appeal for levy recovery:  Can a CSOS adjudicator order a defaulting…

Towing, Fines and Clamping: What Bodies Corporate Can (and Can’t) Do By Jennifer Paddock Parking disputes remain one of the most common issues in sectional title schemes. Here’s an example that was posted on Paddocks Club recently:     “One of our BCs is quite a large block – loads of simplexes and duplexes in…

PQ-Effect Adjustment Rules in Sectional Title Schemes: When Lawful Becomes Unfair By Jennifer Paddock My December 2025 article on repealing equal levies and returning to participation quota (PQ) generated significant engagement, particularly around the concern that section 11(2) rules are frequently used to advantage developers at the expense of long-term owner governance.   In the…

Repealing Equal Levies and Returning to PQ: How to Unwind a Section 11(2) Rule By Jennifer Paddock An interesting and unusual question was posted to Paddocks Club recently. Essentially, in a sectional title scheme where sections range in size from 20 square meter studios to 360 square meter penthouses, there was a developer-imposed rule that…

Trustee Nominations and Adjourned AGMs: Can new nominations be accepted By Jennifer Paddock Trustee elections are one of the most important items of business at a sectional title annual general meeting (AGM). But what happens when an AGM is automatically adjourned due to a lack of quorum before the election can even begin? May owners…