Our Services
What services do we offer?
We offer the full range of services across the property lifecycle – from structuring and initial planning, all the way through financing, letting, and offloading.
Our services include:
- Property Transfers – Residential & Commercial
- The registration of Mortgage Bonds, Notarial Bonds, and also the cancellation of existing Mortgage Bonds
- Notarial Transactions
- Ante-Nuptial Contracts
- The Administration and Planning of Estates
- Real Estate Development
- Negotiating and drafting all agreements and contracts related to the sale as well as the lease of commercial and residential properties
- Assistance with resolving billing issues with local municipalities
- Assistance with the Application for Land Use Development at the Municipal Planning Tribunal
- The opening and registration of new townships and developments at the Deeds Office
- The opening and registration of new Sectional Title and Share Block Schemes at the Deeds Office
- We offer assistance with the establishment of new Body Corporates and Homeowners Associations
- The drafting and registration of a variety of other applications and endorsements within the context local authorities and the Deeds Office
Our focus & approach
This commitment to service is very much a part of the very culture of our firm. We’re passionate about our profession, passionate about our role within the South African property market, and passionate about serving our clients with pride.
We furthermore believe in a hands-on and personal approach. As such, every member of our team was chosen with our sights set firmly on providing a specialised, benchmarked, and innovative service. At Smalman Inc. we don’t settle for second-best so that our valued clients don’t have to either.
Cancelled Sale, Damaged Property. Who Pays?
When a sale falls through, most people assume restitution means simply giving back the money and the property. A recent High Court decision shows it is rarely that straightforward, particularly if the property itself has changed in the interim. The ruling explains how restoration costs should be worked out, and why the condition of the property when occupation begins can matter years later.
Can Family Conflict Kibosh a Trust?
When a trust’s founder dies, families often assume that whatever they said they wanted will be honoured, even if the trust deed was never changed to reflect it. A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision confirms that this is not how trusts work. What governs a trust after the founder’s death is the trust deed itself, not the wishes they expressed at family meetings in their final years.
Does the Consumer Protection Act Protect Every Tenant?
Paying rent under a residential lease does not automatically make you a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act. A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision shows that the real question is whether the landlord is letting property in the ordinary course of business. That said, even where the CPA does not apply and a lease is validly cancelled, a landlord cannot simply tell a tenant to leave without following the correct eviction process.
Whistleblower Reinstated: Protected Disclosures Act to the Rescue
The “Whistleblower’s Act”, formally known as the Protected Disclosures Act, encourages employees to expose corruption, criminal activity and other wrongdoing in the workplace. But what protections does the Act actually give whistleblowers? And what steps should employers and employees take to ensure they comply with it? We’ll answer all of these questions in the context of a recent Labour Court decision to reinstate a manager who was ostensibly fired for breaching ICT policies.
Let us help simplify the process
Buying or selling a property can be exciting, but it can also be overwhelming with all the legal and administrative tasks involved. We are here to simplify the process and ensure a smooth and successful transaction.