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So 10 years ago i purchased a property which had a few extras added prior to me purchasing.
The house was a 3 bedroom with a single garage...built more than 30 years ago.
The additions are a double garage and a 4m x 3m room....built about 15 years ago.
The building inspector from Ethekweni arrives at my house today and requests the engineers certificate for the foundations...huh...was my response.
He had a set of approved plans for the additions with him..I found a quote from mountain man,...the building contractor who did the work and roof load certificate...but i cant find a foundation certificate in any of the documents from the previous owner.
My first question to the building inspector was why only now 15 years later has he suddenly realised that the building requires the certificate...why wasnt the engineers certificate requested or produced after the foundation was completed or at least before they started building the walls?
I have done no additions or alterations to the house since i purchased it.
I am now told by the building inspector that as the new (10 years already) owner of the property it is now my responsibility to pay for an engineer to come to site dig a pile of holes around the building to expose the foundation and produce a certificate at a cost of around R10 000.00...or sue the previous owner for the expenses.
When i asked about plans for all the shacks around Durban and the plans required...i was told they dont need plans...then he pointed out that i am also required to submit documentations for the deck i am busy building...my answer was that it was going to have corrugated iron for the sides and roof as he mentioned...no plans/permits are required for that style of dwelling...he informed me that i still have to get some sort of building permit/permission...so you tell me...is this fair...why if 10 houses away form my house shacks are being built by the hundreds doesnt requires building plan of sorts why should my deck which will have corrugated iron sides and roof require a building permit of sorts.
I get the feeling someone is looking for lunch money.
Anyone a builder or in the building industry who can shed some light on this issue...i am sure this is not the first time this has happened.
The house was a 3 bedroom with a single garage...built more than 30 years ago.
The additions are a double garage and a 4m x 3m room....built about 15 years ago.
The building inspector from Ethekweni arrives at my house today and requests the engineers certificate for the foundations...huh...was my response.
He had a set of approved plans for the additions with him..I found a quote from mountain man,...the building contractor who did the work and roof load certificate...but i cant find a foundation certificate in any of the documents from the previous owner.
My first question to the building inspector was why only now 15 years later has he suddenly realised that the building requires the certificate...why wasnt the engineers certificate requested or produced after the foundation was completed or at least before they started building the walls?
I have done no additions or alterations to the house since i purchased it.
I am now told by the building inspector that as the new (10 years already) owner of the property it is now my responsibility to pay for an engineer to come to site dig a pile of holes around the building to expose the foundation and produce a certificate at a cost of around R10 000.00...or sue the previous owner for the expenses.
When i asked about plans for all the shacks around Durban and the plans required...i was told they dont need plans...then he pointed out that i am also required to submit documentations for the deck i am busy building...my answer was that it was going to have corrugated iron for the sides and roof as he mentioned...no plans/permits are required for that style of dwelling...he informed me that i still have to get some sort of building permit/permission...so you tell me...is this fair...why if 10 houses away form my house shacks are being built by the hundreds doesnt requires building plan of sorts why should my deck which will have corrugated iron sides and roof require a building permit of sorts.
I get the feeling someone is looking for lunch money.
Anyone a builder or in the building industry who can shed some light on this issue...i am sure this is not the first time this has happened.
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