When you sell a property, you need to provide certain compliance certificates before the property can be transferred to the new owner. Compliance to certain installations is prescribed by law throughout South Africa, and banks usually require all of the necessary certificates for security purposes before issuing a home loan. We also strongly advise that buyers insist on getting copies of all the compliance certificates before they take transfer.
Below, we list the necessary compliance certificates, as well as a few others that are also customary in some parts of South Africa.
Electrical Compliance Certificate
The requirements for an Electrical Compliance Certificate (ECOC) are set out in the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It is a legal document that verifies the electrical installation on the property is compliant with all the legal requirements stipulated in the Electrical Installations Occupational Health and Safety Act.
A new certificate is not required for transferring ownership of a property if there is a valid certificate in place that is not more than two years old. If alterations have been made to the installation, a new certificate will need to be issued.
Electrical Fence Certificate
An Electrical Fence Compliance Certificate must be issued by a qualified and registered electrician and is required if the property is surrounded by an electric fence, or if an electric fence has been modified. This also applies to sectional title units if there is an electrical fence system situated on common property.
Gas Compliance Certificate
This certificate will certify that the installation of any gas appliances are in a safe and working condition. It can only be issued by an authorised person registered with the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Association of Southern Africa (LPGAS) and is not needed if the property is running purely on electricity.
Water Installation Certificate
Unlike the above mentioned certificates, this certificate is specific to the City of Cape Town municipality and is required in terms of the City’s Water By-laws. This certificate certifies that the water supply to the property meets the requirements stipulated in the By-laws. It can only be issued by a qualified plumber and is designed to help limit water wastage.
Beetle-Free Certificate
Although this certificate is not required by law, it is still a customary practice in many sale agreements. Particularly for free standing homes in coastal regions such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The certificate will certify that the wood structures on the property are free from beetles that destroy wood, namely:
- European house borer (Hyloytopus bajulus)
- Longhorn beetle (Oxypleurus nodeiri)
- West-Indian drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis)
If you would like any more information on compliance certificates, or if you need advice about the sale of your property, please feel free to get in touch!