"Red Tape", not to be confused with the yellow and sometimes white tape used to measure
things, is one if not the major
frustrations and delays in building the house.
You have everything figured out, put in an offer to purchase the land, applied
for a building bond (unless you have cash
from a solid BEE contract or a trust fund from good old grandpa that had
a contract to manufacture steel for the Nats). You have found a designer or
architect or a lowly draughtsman, plans are done, even spoke to what you think
is reliable contractors, which are ready to go, and just waiting for the deposit
(They need that for a new bakkie). You are ready to go, “turn the soil”, then
OOPS, you hear off such things as NHBRC enrolment, departure applications, HOA esthetic
approval and there are quite a few others.
You think “OK this is no biggie, happens to everyone”. WRONG, it is a time eating, “no end in sight”
delay nightmare.
So
what are these things and where do they come from? There are many organisations
that have their fingers in the building pie. Some exist by law, others because
they make money off you, and the rest to annoy you. They all have one thing in
common, they don’t give a sh..t about your time and your money lost because of
their “red tape”.
So
who are they? I am not going to go in detail on them, because that will require
and earn me a PHD thesis, but it is CRITICAL that you understand them and their
rolls and impact.
You
have the Banks (they just want your
money). Understanding a building and home loan application and the cash flow
implication of that is difficult. I can guarantee the bank clerk that deals
with it has no idea and you cannot get hold of a Manager or backroom staff
member in the know. You just have to submit the forms and they make no sense.
So try to speak to someone that GETS this process and the cash flow
implications. Two things you want to pay attention to is, “start up capital“and
“bridging finance”. If you build
with me I can help and explain these and believe me you need to understand
these.
Then
you have the Local authority for the
Plan approval. Or that is what you think. When the guy, with his Fake grade 10
certificate, at the counter studies your plan, (that is after you have been
back three times to get the forms) indicates with an expression of triumph, you
are going to have to revisit the zoning, or the departure, or get SG’s office
or go back to get the HOA approval. The latter sometimes does not even exist
and there might be some more problems (actually there are more). Now you
project is set back, not by weeks but months if you are lucky and it happens
the majority of the times.
Somewhere
you have heard of the NHBRC, never paid much attention, but you should have.
They can be nasty if you don’t enroll your house on time, pay your fees, use a
registered builder, but at least they are quick. I can only enroll the property
when all the above (banks, local authority) is correctly done and completed and
their fees paid. Once again, lots or forms to be completed, time wasted and
frustration.
So
hopefully you will get some idea where you time is running to. You are pulling
your hair and the building has not even started. At least with your contractor
you have someone to shout and scream abuse at.
With the “red tape people”,
well they just don’t care and move your forms to the back of the line or lose
it, if you annoy or scream at them.
Now
you are asking yourself, “what the f .., how am I going to get out of this mess
with my sanity intact?” Not to scare
you, but there are more. So to help you
with this, you need a “FIXER”. In other words someone that understands the
processes and knows people that knows people. If you build with me I can help
and explain these and believe me you need to understand these.
ASK
ME
* Note - if you find the blog interesting, it makes more sense to read the blog entries chronologically from the start.
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