R180 000 municipal bill for Joburg house with no water or power

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When Collette Morton and her husband, Frederik, purchased her parents’ home from their deceased estate, they had no idea that their plan to generate additional income by renting out the property would turn their lives upside down, reports Roodepoort Record.

Collette’s father passed away in 2015 and, according to her, the electricity to the house was disconnected shortly afterwards.


“There isn’t even an electricity cable connected to the house,” she says.

She adds that her mother stayed in the house for some time, but that the water was disconnected around 2017 and the water meter was removed by the municipality.
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www.citizen.co.za

R180 000 municipal bill for Joburg house with no water or power - LNN - Network News

A West Rand couple is challenging a hefty municipal account for a property with no water meter or electricity connection.
www.citizen.co.za www.citizen.co.za
 
Looks like clickbait rubbish, the father passed away in 2015 and electricity was cut shortly afterwards, meaning the property was already in arrears, the mother stayed in the house for a further two years and then water was cut, which means for the two years, nothing was done towards the payment of the original debt.

The heading make it look like there debt appeared out of nowhere for a house that does not have a water an electricity connection. Where were the children all along? Because it looks like they swooped in on the deceased estate hoping to score a steal.
 
TheChamp said:
Looks like clickbait rubbish, the father passed away in 2015 and electricity was cut shortly afterwards, meaning the property was already in arrears, the mother stayed in the house for a further two years and then water was cut, which means for the two years, nothing was done towards the payment of the original debt.

The heading make it look like there debt appeared out of nowhere for a house that does not have a water an electricity connection. Where were the children all along? Because it looks like they swooped in on the deceased estate hoping to score a steal.
Click to expand...
Gotta get those clicks
 
TheChamp said:
Looks like clickbait rubbish, the father passed away in 2015 and electricity was cut shortly afterwards, meaning the property was already in arrears, the mother stayed in the house for a further two years and then water was cut, which means for the two years, nothing was done towards the payment of the original debt.

The heading make it look like there debt appeared out of nowhere for a house that does not have a water an electricity connection. Where were the children all along? Because it looks like they swooped in on the deceased estate hoping to score a steal.
Click to expand...
It is all persecution. If they promise to vote for ANC, this will all go away.
 
TheChamp said:
Looks like clickbait rubbish, the father passed away in 2015 and electricity was cut shortly afterwards, meaning the property was already in arrears, the mother stayed in the house for a further two years and then water was cut, which means for the two years, nothing was done towards the payment of the original debt.

The heading make it look like there debt appeared out of nowhere for a house that does not have a water an electricity connection. Where were the children all along? Because it looks like they swooped in on the deceased estate hoping to score a steal.
Click to expand...
Indeed. Kids shouldn't have let it get to that point.

Only concern I potentially see is charging for water and electricity after the services had been disconnected. Unless they're talking about interest on money already owed?

Surely a muni can't charge you for a service that's no longer being supplied?
 
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porchrat said:
Indeed. Kids shouldn't have let it get to that point.

Only concern I potentially see is charging for water and electricity after the services had been disconnected. Unless they're talking about interest on money already owed?

Surely a muni can't charge you for a service that's no longer being supplied?
Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused, the article mentions "purchased her parents’ home from their deceased estate".

I'm pretty sure our courts have ruled that municipal debt cannot be transferred to the new owner of a property that was sold. If anything, the debt should be collected from the estate of the deceased.

Something here does not add up.

EDIT:
Order
[81] The following order is made:
1. The appeals succeed.
2. The order of invalidity is not confirmed.
3. It is declared that, upon transfer of a property, a new owner is not liable
for debts arising before transfer from the charge upon the property under
section 118(3) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of
2000.
4. The appellants in the appeals and the Minister are to pay the applicants’
costs, including the costs of two counsel
Click to expand...
 
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porchrat said:
Indeed. Kids shouldn't have let it get to that point.

Only concern I potentially see is charging for water and electricity after the services had been disconnected. Unless they're talking about interest on money already owed?

Surely a muni can't charge you for a service that's no longer being supplied?
Click to expand...
It's the interest and probably service fees. I would hate to see what my dead mils is sitting at.
Her eldest son owns half the house, her will gave the other half to the 3 youngest. It's been 5 years and the house hasn't been sold and I doubt anything has been paid.
 
TheChamp said:
Looks like clickbait rubbish, the father passed away in 2015 and electricity was cut shortly afterwards, meaning the property was already in arrears, the mother stayed in the house for a further two years and then water was cut, which means for the two years, nothing was done towards the payment of the original debt.

The heading make it look like there debt appeared out of nowhere for a house that does not have a water an electricity connection. Where were the children all along? Because it looks like they swooped in on the deceased estate hoping to score a steal.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing there are municipal rates and taxes added to the outstanding services charges.
 
ForceFate said:
When did they purchase the house? How was it transfered if there was no clearance document from the municipality? Article doesn't contain any useful info.
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It just says "purchased her parents’ home from their deceased estate". New owners are not liable for the previous owner's debt, the municipality needs to collect the debt from the estate of the deceased.
 
ponder said:
It just says "purchased her parents’ home from their deceased estate". New owners are not liable for the previous owner's debt, the municipality needs to collect the debt from the estate of the deceased.
Click to expand...
It's not enough. It doesn't say when the mother passed away and when the purchase was made. It may have been years ago, and new debt accumulated. Perhaps all they need to do now is approach the courts to separate the old debt from the new debt? Article doesn't say much.
 
ForceFate said:
I'm guessing there are municipal rates and taxes added to the outstanding services charges.
Click to expand...
And we don't know how much was owed when the city first cut electricity.

The city might as well be taking chances with estimates but the truth is that there is no mystery of a a debt that arose out of thin air for a house that has no water or electricity connection as this article would like to suggest.
 
porchrat said:
Indeed. Kids shouldn't have let it get to that point.

Only concern I potentially see is charging for water and electricity after the services had been disconnected. Unless they're talking about interest on money already owed?

Surely a muni can't charge you for a service that's no longer being supplied?
Click to expand...
Yeah, the municipality is very full of nonsense on its side, that cannot be dismissed, they often use their power to bully residents with made up estimates, hoping the residents don't have the energy and means to challenge it.

But the article is one sided with a lot of information omitted for clickbait purposes.
 
ForceFate said:
When did they purchase the house? How was it transfered if there was no clearance document from the municipality? Article doesn't contain any useful info.
Click to expand...
A lot of dodgy lawyers who can make things happen in those messy deceased estates things, a former colleague was scammed of R30k by a lawyer who was promising him a lot of unexplained money from his wife's estate, unfortunately people are not very keen to discuss things when they are being scammed.
 
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TheChamp said:
A lot of dodgy lawyers who can make things happen in those messy deceased estates things, a former colleague was scammed of R30k by a lawyer who was promising him a lot of unexplained money from his wife's estate, unfortunately people are not very keen to discuss things when they are being scammed.
Click to expand...
Always a story, it's never one of your fellow cadres in the CoJ
 
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