It’s an all-too-common problem these days. You, or perhaps someone else you are trying to help, want to buy property before prices start ticking up, and are lucky enough to find the right entry-level house at the right price. But you (or they) just can’t afford it. But take heart, all is not necessarily lost....Read More

Having to write off bad debt is one thing – having to pay in even more money for the privilege is just adding insult to injury. Yet that is exactly the danger you face if one of your debtors is sequestrated or liquidated (we start off by explaining the different terminology) and you prove your...Read More

Here’s a recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision of importance and interest to all schools, parents and learners. It deals with a school’s attempt to cancel a parent contract (effectively expelling two young learners) after the parents created a “toxic and intolerable atmosphere” in the school with an eight-month spree of bad behaviour and expletive-rich...Read More

The last thing you want in any property transfer is any more delay and cost than is already built into the process. Unhappily, that is exactly what is in store if the property’s original title deed is for any reason not to hand. Whether it has been lost or destroyed, you will need your conveyancer...Read More

Media reports suggest that loadshedding is likely to be with us for some time yet, and whether you happen to be at work or at home when one of the dreaded blackouts strikes, there’s nothing worse than being caught off guard. Avoid unpleasant surprises by knowing exactly when your area will go down. At least...Read More

Property development can be a profitable business, but it also carries substantial risks. One of those is cash flow problems – get your projections wrong and you could face serious financial trouble. So it’s important you know of the recent SCA decision about a R1.9m income tax assessment levied by SARS on a developer which...Read More

Corruption hurts us all in both our business and our private lives. Even those of us who aren’t the direct victims of tender fraud or bribery requests lose out from the general loss of confidence and investment in the country. So we can all take heart from two recent Supreme Court of Appeal decisions relating...Read More

Buying into a residential estate can be a great way of acquiring a safe and secure “dream home” for you and your family. Choose wisely and you also gain a valuable asset. You can either buy an existing house in the estate or you can buy a vacant stand on a “plot-and-plan” or “buy-to-build” basis....Read More

Both employers and employees should be up to speed with the new labour legislation which will affect all businesses and individuals on one level or another. Firstly we discuss the new “parental leave” provisions relevant to fathers, adoptive parents and commissioning parents in surrogacy agreements. Next we look at the new National Minimum Wage and...Read More