The City of Cape Town has received numerous enquiries from residents with regards to obtaining copies of their property’s approved building plans.
Be it to sell a property or to make renovations to a building, there comes a time when the latest version of these plans are necessary and previously approved building plans are held by the City.
All property owners should ensure that the City has a record of their plans and if not, it is the owner’s responsibility to have the built structures on the property measured and plans drawn up. Although comprehensive, there are cases where the City’s database of approved building plans does not have a record of a specific building plan.
“A copy of the previously approved building plan is usually required in cases where a property owner wants to make changes to a structure, such as extensions, additions or alterations, or when selling a home in order to provide proof that the building has been approved by the municipality” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
“Recently, we have received many inquiries from residents about how they can access their plans. Property owners can obtain a copy of an approved building plan by emailing the necessary application form and documents to their local Development Management district office hub”.
Copies of building plans will not be provided without the authorisation of the document owner, which is usually the registered property owner or the appointed architect or draughts person. Once the resident has obtained this authorisation, a formal application is to be submitted and the search fee paid.
Upon receipt of all relevant documents and confirmation of the fee payment, the application will be accepted and processed accordingly. The City charges a search fee for copies of plans as determined by the Land Use Management tariffs schedule. The City accepts cash; debit or credit cards; direct deposits at the bank, and electronic payments.
For copies of plans, the below documentation is required. These should be submitted simultaneously:
- The application form to be completed in full and signed by owner/s.
- A copy of the municipal rates account.
- Copies of owner/s and applicant’s ID documents.
- A resolution letter if property ownership is a company.
- Power of Attorney/Consent letter, if applicable.
- The fees payable range between R140 and R300, depending on the building.
