We welcome this new Bill, bringing South Africa into line with USA and Europe.
From 7 years ago, when we opened our Francesca Beattie Properties Estate Agency, we have given our Mandated Property Sellers a complimentary Professional Structural Engineer's inspection and report on the integrity of the structure of the property. We believe that to date, we are still the ONLY Estate agency to offer this free service - including all the Big Names in Estate Agency in South Africa.
Our aim in offering this service is to increase the level of trust between all parties, buyer, seller and agent. At all times to encourage transparency in the sale/ purchase process. If there are problems, the Seller can have them fixed. If not, the Buyer knows what the problems are, upfront.
Now the draft Property Practitioner's Bill (PPB) will require all Estate Agents to recommend a home inspection to all prospective property buyers and it will regulate home inspectors, which is long overdue, and will define the role of the home inspector and prescribe minimum qualifications for home inspectors.
The CEO of the Estate Agents Affairs Board (EAAB) has announced that the new Property Practitioner's Regulatory Authority (PPRA) is to replace the EAAB. Estate agents AND home inspectors will be regulated by the PPRA.
Further, the South African Home Inspection Training Academy (SAHITA) is working with training experts to ensure that the existing 34 module online SAHITA training course meets the standards which will be required by the PPB and is properly accredited.