What is a SPLUMA certificate

The introduction of the new SPLUMA certificate is to ensure that the zoning of the property matches the land use and to determine that all the buildings on the premises are in accordance with approved building plans which should be filed at the municipality.

In order to obtain a SPLUMA certificate from the local municipality, a seller should have the following in place:

• An affidavit signed by the seller and filed at the municipality with an application wherein the owner states that the relevant plans pertaining to the property are in order, accurate, and have been filed with the local municipality.
• All rates and taxes and any other funds pertaining to the property must be paid up to date.
• Building plans for all buildings (including the swimming pool and lapa) need to be approved and submitted. Should these plans not be compliant, the seller will need to appoint an architect or draughtsman to prepare the plans for lodgement with the municipality.
• The use of the property needs to be in accordance with municipal zoning.
• There should be no encroachments over the building lines and property boundaries.

This can be a time-consuming process - taking up to three months or more - and thus it is advisable to start as soon as the property is listed.