By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Maike Gohl, Partner Introduction This article explains your rights as a property owner when a neighbour violates a building line or encroaches on your land. Determining Building Lines Every property has several imaginary lines that run along the inside of the property parallel to the borders, a few metres away

By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Maike Gohl, Partner Introduction This article examines the legal rights of property owners and occupiers in dealing with so-called “illegal buildings” (which are buildings that are built contrary to the approved plans on file at the municipality, or buildings that are built in contravention of any zoning, town planning, title

By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Maike Gohl, Partner  INTRODUCTION A disturbing trend is emerging in the property industry in terms of which hundreds of property transfers are being seriously delayed, not because of any of the parties to the sale, but rather because the municipalities are failing to provide rates clearance figures within a reasonable

By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood (Partner), Lisa Schmidt (Associate) and Lindokuhle Mashilo (Candidate Attorney) Introduction Disputes in community living schemes arise often, more so now given the current financial difficulties posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Where such a clause exists, a determination would have to be made as to whether the parties should or could approach

By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Dingumuzi Ndhlovu, Associate Introduction  Common boundary walls or party walls have become a topic of importance in modern day suburbia.  With the burgeoning population and proliferation of privately owned urban property ownership in South Africa today, the number of “wall disputes” is blossoming concomitantly. This article will explain what a

 By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Nicole Rens, Candidate Attorney  Introduction This article explains what mediation is, and how mediation in terms of Uniform Court Rule 41A (“Rule 41A”) is envisaged to work. What is mediation? It is: a voluntary process entered into by agreement between the parties to a dispute, in which an impartial and

Written By Angela Paschalides, Candidate Attorney and Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner Introduction In an attempt to alleviate the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dwindling fiscus, the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) has embarked on a revision of certain key aspects of the personal income tax filing procedure for the 2020 season.  This article

By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood (Partner) and Maike Gohl (Partner) Introduction  A question commonly asked by consumers is whether the COJ will be compensating them for their difficulty in dealing with the COJ in investigating and resolving their queries.  This is because it can take months (or even years), and costs thousands of Rands in expert’s reports/assistance

Written by Dingumuzi Ndhlovu, Associate and Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner Introduction The primary function of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 103 of 1993 (“COIDA”) is to facilitate the provision of assistance in the form of compensation to workers who suffer debilitating injuries, diseases, or even death during the course and scope of their

Written By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner; Lauren Squier, Associate; and Kirsten Chetty, Associate Introduction The City of Johannesburg (“COJ”) has advised many sectional title body corporates that it has or will adjusted their municipal accounts to “change the sewer tariff from ‘block of flat’s’ to ‘multi-dwelling’”. In several cases that we have seen this has resulted