Pioneering property and
development legal solutions
Services
General Conveyancing
Project-related Conveyancing
Property Law
Our property law services deal with all aspects of property law irrespective of size or complexity. Our holistic offering includes private, corporate and public entity conveyancing and transfers, property related contracts and leases, Sectional Title and conventional conveyancing, sectional title development, property timeshare, and township establishment. We assist individuals, developers and public entities with all aspects of their property projects.
Planning Law
HSG has experience in all areas of planning law and policy.
We act for the landowner, developer and local authority clients on a variety of matters ranging from planning applications, objection letters, providing input and advice, and drafting planning agreements for mixed-use projects. Our understanding of and speciality with reference to the Spatial Land Use Management Act No 16 of 2003 provides accurate and precise input for our projects. We pride ourselves on delivering practical, commercial and cost effective solutions for clients.
Land-Legal Solutions
Within South Africa the ownership, stability of tenure and transfer of land can be affected by various impediments such as tenure conflict and insecurity, tenure, eviction processes and tenure rectification solutions. HSG provides an offering that identifies, rectifies and resolves complicated tenure matters which are affected by these impasses. Through our involvement with the GeoAfrika Group, we are able to network and partner with Professional Land Surveyors and Specialist Geographic Information Systems professionals in order to provide a holistic offering to resolving land tenure impediments.
Land Tenure Resolutions
HSG has experience in all areas of planning law and policy.
We act for the landowner, developer and local authority clients on a variety of matters ranging from planning applications, objection letters, providing input and advice, and drafting planning agreements for mixed-use projects. Our understanding of and speciality with reference to the Spatial Land Use Management Act No 16 of 2003 provides accurate and precise input for our projects. We pride ourselves on delivering practical, commercial and cost effective solutions for clients.
Notarial Practice
HSG’s notarial practice assists clients with the drafting and the authentication of legal documents. Our notary attorneys have passed the practical exam and have been admitted in the High Court in order to practice. Our vast experience in this field assists us with providing the following services:
- Registration of antenuptial contracts
- Registration and cancellation of notarial bonds
- Registration and cancellation of notarial lease agreements
- Registration and cancellation of notarial servitudes
- Registration of notarial trusts
- Drafting of foreign notarial wills
- Prospecting and mining contracts
- General notarial practice and drafting of agreements
Commercial Law
Our commercial law offering comprises a full spectrum of Corporate and Commercial law services. We aspire to provide exceptional service by providing accurate and practical advice as we progress through your matter. Our services include:
- Drafting contracts and legal documentation for commercial contracts including Sale Agreements, Leases, Partnerships, Joint Ventures and Shareholder Agreements
- Structuring transactions
- Commercial Contracts
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Business Structures & Joint Ventures
- Property Law Agreements (including Licensing and Royalty Agreements)
Property Management
HSG provides a tailor-made solution to your property management needs. Depending on the size and type of management needed (Commercial, residential, Home Owners Association, nation-wide industrial management) we are able to provide a custom solution to your needs including an experienced management team dedicated to ensuring the smooth operation and management of your property investment.
Our current tasks include:
- Acquisition, ennoblement and disposal of land, Sectional Title Units, and retail space
- Preparation of lease agreements including the reviewing and renewal of leases
- Financial management reporting
- Building Management
- Management and tender procedures for service providers
- Contractor selections (including B-BBEE credentials, capacity, resources, capabilities etc.)
- Property inspections
- Maintenance and facilities management
- Administration Services including the coordination and minutes of Trustee and AGM meetings and Trustee portfolios, credit checks, reference confirmations and tenant screening etc
Environmental Law
South Africa has prioritised sustainable development. This includes care of the environment and forethought into the consequences of a development on the environment (underpinned by the National Environmental Management Act and associated regulations).
As a pioneer in the field of environmental law, HSG offers holistic environmental expertise to our clients. This includes the resources of our Environmental Attorney and Environmental Specialist. Tasks in this offering include:
- The compilation of project environmental proposals, Environmental Management Programmes (EMPrs) and environmental reports, interpreting of specialist and technical reports
- Conducting field surveys to establish a baseline condition for a site or area of consideration, and the production of environmental scanning reports
- The undertaking of the role of an Environmental Assessment Practitioner and/or the management of the Environmental Authorisation Processes, such as the Basic Assessment Report (BA), and Scoping and Environmental Impact Reports (EIA)
- Subcontracting and supervising the required specialists for the BA or EIA process
- Acting as an Environmental Control Officer (ECO) to ensure the environmental compliance with the environmental authorisation of all contractors
Undertaking Project Development Applications and/or Preliminary Environmental Assessments - Reporting to the client on a regular basis detailing the status of the application
- Providing legal environmental interpretation and opinion to clients
- Appealing and/or amending environmental authorisations
Property-Related Litigation
HSG offers clients specialised litigation with an emphasis on property-related matters. Our litigation team aims to assist clients when a problem arises with quick, tactical advice and responsive action. We support our clients in resolving disputes using negotiation, arbitration, mediation and when necessary, court action. Our main focus in Property-related Litigation is:
- Rental agreements
- Offer to purchase
- Property development rights / disputes
- Landlord and tenant disputes; and
- Eviction orders.
Arbitration and Mediation
HSG offers qualified and accredited mediators to implement arbitration and mediation services in the commercial, civil and family arena.Our offering of co-mediation services, arguably the best practice model for mediation especially in more complex situations or where there is an increased number of participants, provides our clients with an opportunity to utilise alternative dispute resolution techniques prior to undertaking expensive and timeous court proceedings. The aim of our mediation services is to provide our clients with a method to avoid, manage and resolve disputes while retaining mutual respect between parties. Our attorneys are registered with the South African Association of Arbitrators. We offer specialised mediation and co-mediation services related to dispute resolution in:
- Property related transactions
- Planning and land use
- Landlord and tenant disputes
- General commercial transactions and agreements
- Estate Management and Development disputes
GeoAfrika 