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M
andi Hanekom of Pro-
pell, a sectional title
finance company, ex-
plains that Sectional Title con-
duct Rule 4 and Rule 33 allows
for alterations and additions
to common property but both
require authorisation from the
body corporate.
Where the outside appear-
ance of a unit will be altered
by the renovation, written
consent is required from the
body corporate before any
work can be done. Windows
and doors have shared cost re-
sponsibilities by the owner and
the body corporate if they are
placed on themedian line. The
owner will then be responsible
for the inside and the body
corporate the outside. When a
window or door is moved, the
boundary and responsibility
line changes.
A case in point is a unit where
the new windows to be in-
stalled, instead of being on the
median line, are to be installed
on the outside of that line. This
installation will then cause
the body corporate to become
fully responsible for the main-
tenance and repair of these
windows in legal terms unless
otherwise specified.
In cases such as these, the
trustees may agree to the al-
teration provided they ap-
prove of the new product to be
installed, the service provider
or company doing the instal-
lation, as well as the owner
claiming full responsibility
(cost andmaintenance) for the
structure.
“On the one hand, where
one can understand the need
for a body corporate to protect
the appearance of the building
but it can also become a situ-
ation where too much control
is applied and the owner’s ap-
plication for a change is fought
unnecessarily,” said Hanekom.
“There aremany buildings that
could benefit from a larger
glazed area, both in light and
warmth or, as in older build-
ings, there were only a few
standard window sizes avail-
able at the time.”
■
In many sectional title schemes, if an owner would like to
replace awindowor door, there are a few things that need to
be considered beforemaking those changes.
Sectional Title
renovations