National property management company Trafalgar has opened a new branch office to serve clients in Ballito and along the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, which is currently one of the fastest-developing regions in SA.
“We already have a large portfolio of sectional title schemes and estates such as The Atrium and Sabuti in the Simbithi Eco Estate under management in the area and also act as the executive estate manager for Wakensure Manor,” says Trafalgar MD Andrew Schaefer. “These clients will now be able to deal directly with the local office instead of our Durban office.
“In addition, the new office will have a commercial property management division to serve office, retail and industrial property owners in Ballito and the nearby Dube Tradeport. In the near future we also plan to open a holiday letting division to assist the many owners of vacation properties along this coastline to maximise the value of their investments.”
He says that as the region becomes increasingly attractive to permanent residents as well as retirees and holidaymakers, gated developments are proliferating in many other towns to the north as well as in Ballito. “This is thus an opportune time to establish a branch that is accessible to those bodies corporate and home owners’ associations (HOAs).
“It also addresses the rapidly rising demand for professional property management services such as those offered by Trafalgar in the wake of the Sectional Title Schemes Management (STSM) Act and the Community Schemes Ombud Services (CSOS) Act, which came into effect in late 2016.”
Schaefer says standard services provided by the company include levy collection and management of the body corporate accounts, payroll, budgeting, financial management and statutory reporting, insurance broking and AGM administration, as well as assistance with facility management services.
“However, there is a lot more for sectional title trustees and HOA directors to do now in order to stay fully compliant with the new legislation, and they are increasingly seeing the need for experienced and qualified property managers to advise and assist them.
“Trafalgar is able to assist, for example, with the collection of the fees due by each owner in the scheme to the CSOS Ombud, the procurement of professional replacement valuations for insurance purposes every three years, the preparation and regular review of formal 10-year maintenance plans, the establishment and management of the separate reserve funds that are now required, fidelity insurance cover and the preparation of the annual financial reports that must be submitted to the CSOS office.
“We can also advise on the correct procedures for the collection of arrear levies and for registering a dispute at the CSOS Ombud’s office and make qualified staff available to attend dispute hearings if necessary.”
*The new Trafalgar office in Ballito is located in Izulu Office Park in Rey’s Place, just off Ballito Drive and can be contacted on 0861 66 4444.
The portfolio manager is Nic Wessels with his portfolio administrator Charmaine Fairman, overseen by Tracy Roberts and David Schaefer.
Issued by Trafalgar
For more information contact
Andrew Schaefer on 011 214 5200
Or visit www.trafalgar.co.za
About Trafalgar
Trafalgar currently has more than 80 000 residential properties worth more than R80-billion under management in more than 1300 community housing schemes around SA.
