DON’T WAIT UNTIL COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES ARE CALLED FOR TO GET INSPECTIONS DONE
Category Advice
When selling a home, all sellers will have to provide a series of compliance certificates for various items on their property as proof that these items are installed correctly, are safe, and are uninfected by anything that could cause structural damage. These are, namely, electricity, plumbing, gas, electric fence, beetle, and alien vegetation compliance certificates, and sellers should not wait until the conveyancer calls for them to be issued before getting the inspections done by professionals, says Nelio Mendes, marketing manager of estate agency SAProperty.com.
In many cases, particularly plumbing and electricity certificates, small faults might be found that will need correcting before a compliance certificate can be issued, and if the seller waits until the last minute, this could cause delays in the transfer process. All compliance certificates are valid for quite some time from the date of issue, so it makes sense to get these done early, even while the home is still being marketed, so that they are ready to be handed over as soon as they’re called for, says Mendes.
The Electrical Certificate of Compliance is valid for two years and verifies that all electrical work has been completed according to the South African National Standards’ regulations. This certificate will cover the distribution boards, wiring, earthing and bonding of any metal components, sockets, light switches, and isolators of fixed appliances. The certificate does not, as many believe, cover the geyser, stove, air-conditioning or underfloor heating installations.
The need for an electrical fence clearance certificate is a fairly new addition to the list of required items and it is only systems that were installed after 2012 that need to have compliance certificates, unless additions or alterations have been made to the system in the interim.
Gas compliance is regulated by the Pressure Equipment Regulations and this must be issued where there is a change of ownership of the equipment. This certificate is to ensure that all gas components in a home have been safely installed and are in good working condition and this certificate is valid for five years.
The City of Cape Town introduced their water by-law in 2010, whereby all water installations have to be cleared before transfer of the property can go ahead and a new certificate must be issued each time ownership of the property changes. The water by-law was put in place to eliminate water wastage through leaks and latent defects in the water installations in the home. This also certifies that the hot water cylinder is fitted correctly, that there is no storm water discharge into the sewerage system and that there is no cross contamination of grey water and any potable water supply on the property.
While there is no law that requires a seller to have a beetle clearance certificate, it has become standard practice for buyers and financial institutions to ask for one, and the majority of banks will not grant finance (particularly in coastal towns) without this.
In addition to the above clearance certificates, a levy clearance certificate is needed in the case of a sectional title transaction, and tax compliance certificates are needed for both buyers and sellers.
The buyer should ask the transferring attorney for the original certificates so that record is kept of what was cleared (in case of any disputes which might question the validity of the compliance certificates or any problems that might occur), said Mendes.
Author: SAPROPERTY
