Publications
Partners
Cape Town - In reaction to complaints by Capetonians about delays in the issue of rates clearance certificates (RCC) by the City of Cape Town, preventing registration of property transactions, Fin24 users in Johannesburg are sending a message: You are not alone.
READ: Frustration at rates clearance delays
Fin24 user Jane writes:
We sold our house in Johannesburg in April and when transfer was due at the end of August, the Johannesburg council was still unable to issue a rates clearance certificate.
We were forced to give the council a deposit of R24 000, to get the rates clearance certificate, so that transfer could go through.
In October we finally received the final statement from the council, showing they owe us nearly R29 000. Now we have been obliged to hire a company to help us get back the money owed us, from the council.
The transferring attorneys say it is not their problem.
I now live in Cape Town and when you go to the council offices, there are no queues (and at least they seem to acknowledge there is a problem with rates clearance).
Fin24 user Angry Seller, writes:
Johannesburg is abysmal. After a couple of months and using a law firm to negotiate on my behalf the “assessment” for six months' rates was more than double the highest monthly City of Johannesburg bill over the preceding year.
But if you want your sale to go through then you pay up.
I had to pay R68 000. Who has R68 000 lying around to pay this "extortion"?
It was allegedly for six months' rates, but more than 12 times my average over the previous 12 months.
We lived in Blairgowrie where the entire suburb was installed with the Hefcom “smart metres” some years ago. My wife began recording our geyser total and the electricity total immediately after installation.
Every month I record the daily totals on an Excel spreadsheet, so we are not talking about “estimates”.
I can give you our daily consumption for about eight years so I know the "theft" the City of Johannesburg is pulling on innocent ratepayers, who subsidise the “illegal” consumers.
ALSO READ: Champing at the bit because of rates system
* Do you have a property transfer horror story to tell? Let us know and you could be published.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyFin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.
