Browsing: CSOS

Working from home is allowed in sectional title schemes, but running a business from a residential unit can breach the law and trigger enforcement.

The High Court dismissed an urgent interdict bid and authorised the demolition of an unlawful estate wall, with costs and enforcement powers granted to the homeowners association

South Africa’s community schemes sector has grown to about 70,000 complexes and estates, but nearly half remain unregistered with the Community Schemes Ombud Service.

Painted numbers and informal agreements are not legal rights. In sectional title schemes, exclusive use areas only exist if properly registered or created through an approved rule, and misunderstanding this distinction is fuelling costly disputes across South Africa.

Residents in estates and complexes will be able to lodge disputes online from January 2026 as CSOS moves community scheme dispute resolution onto a fully digital platform.

Homeowners must pay levies from the date their property is registered, not when they receive their first invoice. Awareness of this responsibility and early engagement with your association can help prevent disputes and financial stress.

Legal expert Ashwini Singh warns that residents cannot bring pets into sectional title schemes without trustee consent, and CSOS cannot override this rule.

CSOS has ordered The Oval Body Corporate in Pretoria to reimburse two sectional title owners for water damage repairs after failing to maintain common property, reaffirming statutory maintenance obligations.

South African law protects neighbours from excessive dog barking, but not all barking is a legal nuisance. A recent CSOS ruling explains why one Johannesburg couple’s attempt to remove their neighbour’s dogs was dismissed.

A Gqeberha homeowner has won a CSOS case after being fined without warning. The Ombud found the penalties were procedurally unfair.