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 ?