Carports not on Plans

[daveob]

Bought a house about 6 months ago. After a few months, have the architect in to quote on adding a few improvements ( 4 extra rooms, a few bathrooms, etc ).

He gets the municipal plans and notices that the 2 carports are not on the plans. He can add them on and get them approved for a reasonable fee ( about R3,500 all inclusive ).

Question is : who is liable for this cost ? Me, because I already have the house registered in my name, or the previous owner who sold me the property ?

The previous owner only had the property for about 1 year and I know that the off-plan carports were erected by the owners before them.

Well, I'm almost certain that I'll be liable for the cost of updating and approving the plans, but leads me to think that, when buying a property, there is an electrical coc as a requirement. Wouldn't it be a wise thing to have a municipal building coc as well to ensure that what's erected on the property is on the plans and approved ?

[Yvonne]

If you have taken transfer there is almost nothing you can do about it.
Our legal costs started at R10,000.00

Even now, suggest you obtain an engineer and get a full report, just in case there are any concealed defects.

Long story, but lets say, been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

Also now own a property that is valued at much less than we paid, had to demolish unsafe additions, even though we had taken the precaution to include clauses in the offer to purchase agreement to the effect that all alterations and additions were "legal".

Yvonne