Renovations and Alterations to your property
Category Property Investment
Thinking of renovating or making alterations and additions to your property?
Many home owners are unaware or simply choose to ignore the fact that approved building plans are required in order to proceed with a project.
South Africas National Building Regulator (NBR) require that any structural changes and/or building work need to receive approval from the relevant local city council in which the property is situated before the planned work can commence.
Projects such as new buildings, car ports, garages, alterations or additions to boundary walls, patios, garage conversions, wendy houses and granny flats all require planning approval.
Unfortunately when the correct process is not followed then the risk is that one day you will struggle to sell the property as all municipalities require up to date building plans in order to issue rates clearance certificates.
Added to this, financial institutions will also request approved building plans to issue home finance.
Once you have received the approved building plans from your local municipality and all work has been completed, you can then request an Occupancy Certificate.
This certificate will be provided after a Building Inspector from the municipality has inspected the work and ensured it has been completed in accordance with the approved plans.
A home or building cannot be occupied without a valid occupancy certificate and insurance companies will also not honour insurance claims so its crucial to keep it somewhere safe as you will then need to produce it when its time to sell.
Author: Cesar Alexandre
