- What is the monthly levy?
The current monthly levy is R1000 (incl VAT) which is due on the 1st of the month.
- What is the monthly levy used for?
The monthly levy is budgeted for annually and covers the general costs of the operational management of the Estate. Monthly costs include the Estate Manager and staff, security, repairs and maintenance, landscaping. the administration of the accounts etc.
- Who runs the Estate?
The Estate Manager is based on site in an office at the main gatehouse. He is responsible for the daily management and operations of the Estate. He reports to a Board of Trustees who make all the decisions for the overall management of the Estate.
- How many Trustees are there and who are they?
The Constitution allows for a max of 7 Trustees. The Trustees are property owners who are nominated to the position, generally at the AGM. A Chairman and Vice Chairman are selected to lead the Board and the decisions that are made. Each Trustee has a portfolio which include: Security – Landscaping – Repairs and Maintenance – Finance – Building Operations – Design Guidelines – Marketing.
- Can the Design Guidelines be altered?
Even though it is possible to change the Design Guidelines, it is a lengthy process, as the Design Guidelines can only be altered with the special consent of the City of Cape Town.
Due to the fact that any such change could have a serious impact on all Property Owners (POs) and their investment, the HOA requires that an evidence of POs majority support is presented, before any Design Guidelines change could be considered for submission to the City of Cape Town.
- Is one allowed to have a guesthouse on the Estate?
The Board of Trustees is not in a position to prohibit this, provided all relevant Municipal requirements and by-laws are met. All visitors are subjected to the Estate Rules and the relevant Property Owner is ultimately responsible for his/her visitors adherence to these.
- Could we have an extension on the 3 year building period?
The Board of Trustees is not in a position to approve any requests for an extension of the Building Period deadline as this is defined by the Constitution. As it is the case with the Design Guidelines, the Building Period Penalty clause could only be changed with a special consent of the City of Cape Town.
The Trustees believe that the extended building period will be a considerable inconvenience to the residents and as such it has been discouraged. The Trustees are also of the opinion that granting extensions without penalties would result in a significant delay to the completion of the Estate.
- What was the original registration date of my plot?
The original registration of the first plots in Blouberg Hills was in March 2004. Sandown 1 plots were registered in June 2004 and Sandown 2 varied from August to the end of 2004. Please contact the HOA office on (0861 106 395) should you require the exact date of the original registration of your plot.
- Why do we get building penalties?
The Building Penalties are incorporated in the Contractors Agreement and the intention is for all builders and contractors to abide by the rules in order for the Estate to be safe and clean during the construction phase, to minimize any inconvenience for the residents on the Estate and to maximize our Property Owner’s return on their investment.
Should any of the rules not be adhered to, the penalties will be issued at the time of the offense and processed on the property owner’s account. Payment is due immediately otherwise access will be denied to the contractor until the fine us settled.
- Why is there no warning before a fine is issued?
In the past the Estate had a warning-before-fine system which proved completely ineffective, open to bribery and difficult to control.
With the current building activities, there are anywhere between 500 and 1000 workers/contractors on the Estate every business day. To administer a fair and effective warning-before-fine system would require additional staff at a great cost to the Estate.
- Who can approve an exception to the Building Rules or the Estate Rules?
According to our Constitution, a minimum of ¾ of all Trustees have to approve any change to the Building Rules and/or Estate Rules.
- Where do we report security issues?
There is a Security Incident Report book for all owners/residents to report in writing any security issue breaches. This information will be actioned by the Estate Manager and Thorburn Security and brought to the attention of the Trustees should it be necessary.
Furthermore, the HOA can be emailed at
yvonne@capeclass.co.za or
diane@capeclass.co.za if urgent attention is required.
