David vs Goliath – The Court of Public Opinion
A letter we addressed to estate agents on 20 November 2018 turned out to be prophetic. It pointed out that organisations need to act in a way that is seen to be just and equitable and if they do not do so they will face the court of public opinion. In this case Momentum Insurance […]
Does the sellers declaration protect the buyer?
Does the sellers declaration protect the buyer? The Consumer Tribunal set up in terms of the consumer protection act issued a judgment in 2014 that clarifies the rights of sellers and buyers in a second-hand property transaction. In case number NCT/12984/2014/75(1) (b) CPA the applicant sought relief from the first respondent (the estate agent), the […]
Home owners not adequately protected by legislative requirements
Home owners not adequately protected by legislative requirements Properly anchoring the roof to the walls in fundamental for structural soundness. Yet there appears to be a loophole in the legislative requirements which may leave home buyers exposed. HouseCheck was recently commissioned to do a HouseCheck on two relatively newly built duplex units. When inspecting the roof […]
Job Creation in the property sector – Picking the low hanging fruit
John Graham (National Association of Building Inspectors of SA) Aug 2017 Within the giant property sector an opportunity has arisen to pluck some “low-hanging fruit” and meaningfully address the triple threats of unemployment, lack of transformation of the economy and disintegrating infrastructure. The asset value of the property sector is massive: Last year the Property […]
The Property Practitioners Bill Set to Improve Consumer Protection
The new Property Practitioner’s Bill (PPB) will go a long way to “levelling the playing fields” for South African home buyers, sellers and their estate agents, says John Graham of HouseCheck, South Africa’s leading home inspection company. Graham says the proposed new law will ensure much better consumer protection for home buyers – who are […]
Building? Immediately cut the stress by inspecting
It would seem that nobody is exempt from being ripped off by bad workmanship, or by a shoddy approach to upgrades. HouseCheck offers a special report for those contemplating “upgrades” or those who may be in conflict with their builders. Use an indépendant SAHITA and NABISA accredited inspector to make sure your building operations proceed […]
How to stop SA home buyers from being cheated
The publication of the new Property Practitioners’ Bill has been delayed. John Graham founder of HouseCheck and principal of SAHITA asks “why” and points out that the absence of this law compromises the consumer protection of all South African home buyers. Graham writes: Last year the Department of Human Settlements and its subsidiary the Estate […]
Limitations of a home inspection – CYA’s
Home inspectors are unable to document all defects in a home for the simple reason that not all defects are visible and therefore able to be observed by the inspector. For this reason most reputable home inspection strive for transparency and full disclosure up front and their reports usually come with a fair amount of […]
Ombudsman warns home buyers to take proven action
In rejecting an appeal against an insurance company for defective plumbing the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance, Dennis Jooste has warned home buyers that the onus remains on home buyers to satisfy themselves that the property was not defective in any form. Jooste dismissed a buyer’s claim against Absa for leaking water pipes in a recently […]
New law will give big boost to home inspection industry
The imminent publication of the draft Property Practitioner’s Bill (PPB) is a game changer for the small but fast-growing South African home inspection industry. The PPB is expected to give a massive boost to the local home inspection industry and in doing so create up to 10 000 new jobs in the private and public […]