A deck collapsed seven months after transfer. The buyers, convinced they’d been sold a raw prawn, headed to the courts. Eight claims and twelve years later, they haven’t recouped a cent. A 2026 Western Cape High Court judgment draws a sharp line between what the law protects buyers against and what it does not. “The...Read More

Time and again our courts are faced with property sellers who, when sued by buyers for hidden defects, try to hide behind a voetstoots clause in the sale agreement. They say, “The buyer bought the house ‘as is’ and can’t complain now”. But that can never protect a seller who has fraudulently concealed a defect....Read More