MUNICIPALITIES AND “SNAIL MAIL”
Friday, 21 February 2020
INTRODUCTION This article considers the legal obligation of municipalities when it comes to sending notices, letters of demand and court documents via e-mail, “snail mail” (ordinary post) and “certified” or “registered” mail. This is important to consumers of municipalities because if the municipality in question fails to serve properly in accordance with law, the demand
- Published in 2020, Municipal Law
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VACANT GARDENS AND PROPERTY RATES
Friday, 17 January 2020
INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this article is to explain the laws and policies that determine how property rates and other services are charged to erven that do not have residential homes on, but form part of the garden of a person’s residence. TYPICAL EXAMPLE The problem discussed in this article most commonly arises where a person’s
- Published in 2015, Property Law
UNUSUALLY HIGH WATER BILL?
Friday, 17 January 2020
INTRODUCTIONThere can be nothing more alarming than suddenly receiving a monthly invoice containing municipal charges that far exceed what you had expected or budgeted for. There are three possible reasons why you may have suddenly received an unusually high water bill. The City* may have:i. overestimated the amounts that you should be charged for based
- Published in 2015, Unusual Water Bill
REVERSAL OF RATES AS A RESULTS OF A CATEGORIZATION CHANGE
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
INTRODUCTION This article considers when, and the extent to which, charges ought to be reversed from a consumer’s account as a result of a categorization change. RATING CATEGORIZATIONS The law provides that municipalities are entitled to determine the categories in respect of which properties within their jurisdictions fall for rating purposes. These categories must, by
- Published in 2015, Reversal of Rates
MUDDYING THE WATERS:COJ’S CONFUSING “ZONING DRIVEN RATING POLICY”
Monday, 13 January 2020
INTRODUCTION HOW PROPERTY RATES ARE CHARGED In terms of the Act a consumer’s liability for property rates is determined by two factors, the first of which is the municipal property valuation and the second of which is the rating categorization that the property is put into by the municipality. The rating categorization must be one
- Published in City Of Johannesburg
City of Joburg’s Silly Sewer Tariffs
Wednesday, 06 November 2019
INTRODUCTION This article explains why some customers of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (“COJ”) refer to the COJ’s mixed use sewer tariffs as being “silly”. Others refer to them as discriminatory, and others still as unfair. WHAT US “MIXED USE” WHEN IT COMES TO SEWERS? Mixed use or multipurpose is a term used to
- Published in 2019, Municipal Law
Boreholes and Water Use Rights/Allocations
Friday, 23 August 2019
Introduction The recent water restrictions have brought into sharp focus how even “first world” cities like Johannesburg are battling to manage their water resources in a sustainable manner. Johannesburg Water SOC Ltd and the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (“COJ”) are accordingly promoting the use of borehole water as an alternative to the conventional municipal
Evergreen Property Investments (Pty) Ltd v Messershmidt (A409/2017) [2018] ZAGPPHC 786 (10 October 2018).
Monday, 19 November 2018
SUMMARY The appellant in this case was the owner of Evergreen Broadacres Retirement Lifestyle Village (“the Village”). The Village is a sectional titles scheme and a housing development scheme. The respondent resides in the Village, is a Life Right Owner and falls into the Phase 1 & 2 category of resident. The respondent’s complaint related
- Published in News, 2018, Commercial Law, Other
Business Rates for Residential Properties
Saturday, 13 October 2018
By Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, Partner and Maike Gohl, Senior Associate Introduction This article examines the instances in which the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (“COJ”) charges residential property owners business rates, the legality thereof, and what a consumer faced with such a problem can do about it. Legal Basis for Levying Rates The relevant
- Published in News, 2018, Municipal Law, Property Law
