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.
Bodies Corporate and HOAs: Apply Your Rules With Common Sense, or Else
The administrators of residential complexes tread a fine line. They must implement and enforce conduct rules for the good of the complex as a whole, but without unjustly impinging on the constitutional rights of individuals.
A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision, granting a sight-impaired owner a limited right to exclusive use of a section of common area for his washing machine, has brought this balancing act into sharp focus. We discuss the reasoning behind that outcome, with some suggestions on how bodies corporate and homeowners’ associations should approach this sort of situation in future.
Bad Manager or Workplace Bully? Where the Law Draws the Line
Not every difficult manager is a workplace bully, and not every uncomfortable workplace is an unlawful one. But where exactly does the law draw the line?
A 2023 Labour Court judgment tackles that question head-on, with important lessons for both employers and employees. If you’ve ever wondered whether a harassment claim would succeed against your employer, or whether your management style exposes your business to legal risk, the answer may surprise you.
She Fell Out of a Safari Vehicle: When Disclaimers Fail
Think a disclaimer will protect your business from liability? Not so fast. Our courts have made it clear that a disclaimer is only enforceable where consent is properly obtained, risks are clearly disclosed, and the wording is specific enough to cover the conduct in question.
These principles matter for businesses operating in high-risk environments, and for consumers who may assume they have signed away more rights than they actually have. A case brought by a woman who fell from her safari vehicle in Botswana illustrates this point.
Reckless Lending: You Could Lose Everything
Before you make a loan to anyone, be sure to comply fully with the strict requirements of the National Credit Act.
If you don’t, you could lose your loan entirely, with a recent High Court decision providing a stark reminder of the consequences. The Court declared a R430,000 loan to have been “reckless lending”, leaving the lender (a family trust) to write off the bulk of its loan, lose a decade’s worth of interest, cancel its security bond over a house, and pay legal costs. Why did that happen and how can you, as a lender, avoid the same fate?
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.