---
title: "Compliance certificates you need to sell a house in South Africa"
description: "Which compliance certificates a South African seller needs: electrical, gas, electric fence, water and beetle, the rule behind each, and when to book them."
url: "https://privately.co.za/guides/compliance-certificates-when-selling-a-house"
country: "South Africa"
updated: "2026-10-20"
published: "2026-08-12"
author: "Chandre Niemand"
source: "Privately"
---

# Compliance certificates you need to sell a house in South Africa

*Chandre Niemand, Founder, Privately. Published: 2026-08-12.*

## Summary

Selling normally means holding a valid electrical certificate of compliance. Regulation 7 of the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 puts that duty on the user or lessor and, subject to a proviso in the Act, bars a change of ownership on a certificate older than two years. Gas and fence certificates apply where you have those installations, a water certificate where a municipality such as Cape Town requires one, and a beetle certificate only where the bank or the offer asks.

## Which certificates apply, and the rule behind each

Three of the five certificates come from national regulations made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, one from a city by-law, and the fifth, the beetle certificate, from no regulation we could find. The table says which rule is behind each. We read the electrical rules in the Government Gazette and the fence and gas rules in a reproduction on Acts Online, all on 20 October 2026. We have not checked whether a later amendment changes any of them, so ask your conveyancing attorney to confirm.

The electrical and fence rules put their duty on the "user or lessor" of the installation. They do not put it on the buyer, the bank or the Deeds Office. For a home you live in, the user is usually you.

For a tenanted, vacant or deceased-estate property, who is the user or lessor is a question for your attorney. Regulation 2(3) of the electrical regulations says that where a written undertaking transfers responsibility for an electrical installation to a lessee, the lessee is responsible for it as if they were the user or lessor. Whether that reaches the certificate on a sale is also for your attorney.

**Compliance certificates on a South African property sale: the rule, and where it applies**

| Certificate | The rule | Where it applies |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical (certificate of compliance, with a test report) | Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009, regulation 7. The user or lessor must have a valid certificate (7(1)) and may not allow a change of ownership if it is older than two years (7(5)), subject to section 10(4) of the Act. Only a registered person may issue it (regulation 9(1)). | Where there is an electrical installation. Regulation 7(3) exempts some old, untouched installations (see below). |
| Electric fence | Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011, regulation 12. The user or lessor of an electric fence system must have a certificate, and the regulation says it is transferable (12(4)). A fence that predates the regulations needs one on alteration, or on a change of ownership after 1 October 2012 (12(5)). Only a registered person may issue it (regulation 13(1)). | Where an electric fence is installed. |
| Gas | Pressure Equipment Regulations, 2009, regulation 17(3). An authorised person or approved inspection authority issues a certificate of conformity after a gas installation, modification, alteration or change of user or ownership. | Where a gas installation exists. |
| Water (plumbing) | City of Cape Town Water By-law, 2010, section 14. The seller submits an accredited plumber's certificate before transfer. The City's current form says a City of Cape Town registered plumber signs it and the conveyancing attorney submits it to the City. | Cape Town. We have not confirmed a rule in other municipalities. |
| Beetle (borer) | No regulation that requires one, as far as we found, and none that names who issues it. Ask the bank or the buyer what they accept. | Where the buyer's bank or the offer to purchase asks for one. |

## How long an electrical certificate counts

You will often read that an electrical certificate is "valid for two years". Regulation 7 does not say that. Regulation 7(5) says that, subject to section 10(4) of the Act, the user or lessor may not allow a change of ownership if the certificate of compliance is older than two years. That is an age limit at the moment ownership changes, not a validity period with fixed start and end dates.

The regulation does not say which day counts as the change of ownership: the day you sign the offer, the day the transfer is lodged, or the day it registers. A certificate that is under the limit when you sign could be over it when the transfer registers. Ask your conveyancing attorney which date they will use, and check each certificate's age against your likely registration date, not against today.

The rule is "subject to the provisions of section 10(4) of the Act". As gazetted on 2 July 1993, that section says that where someone sells or supplies an article to another person, and that person undertakes in writing to take specified steps to make sure the article complies and is safe, the undertaking relieves the seller or supplier of the section's duty to the extent that is reasonable. Whether and how that applies to a home sale is for your attorney, so we do not say what it changes. We read the Act as gazetted; later amendments are also for your attorney to confirm.

Work done after the certificate was issued matters too. Regulation 7(4) says that where an addition or alteration has been made to an installation that already had a certificate, the user or lessor must obtain a certificate for at least the addition or alteration. A new circuit or a new supply to an outbuilding is something to tell the electrician about.

The text we read of the fence and gas regulations gives no number of years. The fence rule calls the certificate transferable, and the gas rule has a certificate issued after a change of user or ownership. Whether a certificate you already hold passes to the buyer, or must be issued again on this sale, is a question for the person who issued it and for your attorney.

## Can you sell a house without a certificate?

Regulation 7 binds the user or lessor, and regulation 7(5) bars them from allowing a change of ownership if the certificate is older than two years. It gives no role to the registrar of deeds, the conveyancer or the bank, and it does not say what happens to a transfer that goes ahead without a valid certificate. Holding no valid electrical certificate also breaches regulation 7(1), unless the exemption below applies, and regulation 15 makes contravening regulation 7 an offence. On conviction the penalty is a fine or imprisonment of up to 12 months, with an additional penalty for each day a continuing offence goes on. How the regulation applies to your home is for your attorney.

Whether a missing certificate stops your sale in practice depends on other things: your offer to purchase, the buyer's bank, and what your transferring attorney requires before lodging. If your offer makes the certificate a condition and you cannot deliver one, the sale may be delayed or fall through under the contract. If the buyer's bank makes it a condition of the loan, the money may not be released without it. Read your offer, and ask your attorney what a missing certificate would do to yours.

The Cape Town water certificate is different in kind. Section 14(1) of the City's Water By-law puts a duty on the seller to submit it to the City before transfer (see the section on it below).

**The exemption.** Regulation 7(3) exempts an installation that existed before 23 October 1992 and where there was no change of ownership after 1 March 1994. As the wording reads, a home that has changed hands since March 1994 would not fit it, and any addition or alteration brings the duty back for the whole installation. Do not rely on it without asking your attorney or an electrician.

A certificate is also separate from telling a buyer what you know about the home: see [seller disclosure and voetstoots](/guides/seller-disclosure-and-voetstoots).

## Who pays, and how to write it into the offer

Regulation 7 says who must hold the electrical certificate. It does not say who pays for it or for the repairs needed to get it. The regulation points at the user, who for a home you live in is usually the seller. Who carries the cost between seller and buyer is for the offer to purchase.

An offer can move the cost to the buyer, for example where a buyer takes a fixer-upper at a lower price. That moves the cost between you and the buyer. We do not say what it does to your own duty under the regulation, so ask your attorney before you agree to it. Section 10(4) of the Act, which regulation 7(5) is subject to, deals with a written undertaking by the person who receives an article; whether it bears on a written term in your offer is also for your attorney. [The offer to purchase guide](/guides/offer-to-purchase-south-africa) explains the clauses, and a [conveyancing attorney](/attorneys) can review yours before you sign.

Vague wording here causes disputes at the point when both sides are least willing to give way. Put these in writing:

- Name each certificate: electrical, and gas, electric fence, water or beetle where they apply.
- Say who orders each one and who pays for it.
- Say who pays for repairs needed to get it, and whether there is a limit above which either side may withdraw.
- Say the date by which each certificate must be delivered.
- Say which date the electrical certificate's age is measured to, once your attorney has told you.

## What a certificate costs

We give no rand figure for the electrical, gas, fence or water certificates. We have not found a published price list we can cite, and an undated price on a website is not one to plan around. The only dated range we found is a bank's: Nedbank's seller guide (22 August 2025) gives R450 to R1 000 per certificate in its section on beetle certificates, and says remedial work could cost substantially more. What is likely to move a quote is the size and age of the home, the number of circuits and outbuildings, the electrician's travel, and whether the first inspection finds faults, in which case repairs come first.

Ask two registered electricians for a written quote. Ask each whether the price includes the test report that regulation 7(1) says must accompany the certificate, a second visit to re-test after repairs, and travel. Our [cost of selling guide](/guides/cost-of-selling-a-house-in-south-africa) lists every cost a seller meets and does not give a typical price for the certificates either.

## When to book: the seller's sequence

The order below is ours. The rules behind each step are in the sections above.

- **Step 1, make a list of what you have.** The electrical installation always. Gas, if there is an LPG or natural gas installation. An electric fence, including one a previous owner added. In Cape Town, the water installation. Ask your attorney about anything else your offer or the bank mentions, such as beetle.
- **Step 2, inspect before you list.** Only a registered person may issue an electrical certificate, and only after an inspection and test (regulation 9). Ask to see the electrician's registration. Doing this before you list leaves room for repairs and for two quotes.
- **Step 3, read the test report.** The certificate must come with a test report (regulation 7(1)). Read it as well as the certificate.
- **Step 4, get two quotes for any repairs.** If the inspection finds faults, ask two registered electricians to quote the repairs in writing.
- **Step 5, check each certificate's age against the likely registration date.** For the electrical certificate, use the date your attorney tells you counts. For gas and fence, ask the issuer whether the certificate passes to the buyer or must be issued again.
- **Step 6, record who pays in the offer.** Use the list in the section on who pays.
- **Step 7, give your conveyancer the certificates.** Ask whether they want the originals or copies, and keep every invoice.

## When the inspection fails

A failed inspection sets the timetable for everything after it. Under regulation 9(3), a registered person must refuse to issue the electrical certificate until a fault or defect has been rectified. Where a fault is an immediate danger to persons and the supply is already connected, the same regulation says the electrician must take steps to disconnect the supply to that circuit and notify the chief inspector.

Nobody may amend a certificate (regulation 9(5)). A fault is therefore not put right on paper: it is repaired, and a certificate follows once it has been. See [how a late certificate stalls the rest of the timeline](/guides/conveyancing-and-the-transfer-process).

An electric fence follows the same pattern. Only a registered person may issue a fence certificate (regulation 13(1) of the Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011), and if a fault or defect is detected before it is issued, the registered person must refuse to issue it (13(2)). Where the fault is an immediate danger and electricity is already supplied, the registered person must tell the user or lessor in writing. Nobody may amend a fence certificate (13(4)).

- Ask for the faults in writing, with the test report.
- Get two written quotes from registered electricians, and ask whether the re-test is included.
- Tell your conveyancer and the buyer as soon as you know, with what the repairs are and when they will be done.
- Check what your offer says about repairs and who pays. If the repairs will take longer than the transfer timetable, ask your attorney what your options are.
- When the repairs are done, ask for the new certificate with a fresh test report, and give your attorney the new one.

## The Cape Town water certificate

Section 14(1) of the City of Cape Town Water By-law, 2010, as promulgated on 18 February 2011, says the seller must, before transfer of a property, submit a certificate from an accredited plumber. The certificate must say that the water installation conforms to the national building regulations and the by-law, that there are no defects, that the water meter registers, and that no stormwater is discharged into the sewer system.

The by-law has been amended since. The City's current form, which asks the conveyancing attorney to submit it to the City, refers to the Water Amendment By-law of 2018, is signed by a City of Cape Town registered plumber, and has a longer checklist, including the hot water cylinder and leaking fittings. Use the City's current form, not the 2011 text, and ask your attorney who sends it.

## Gauteng and the Midstream corridor

Cape Town is the one municipality whose water rule we have read. We have not confirmed whether Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni require a seller's water certificate on transfer, and we do not say that they do not. Ask your conveyancing attorney, and look in your offer and the buyer's bank terms for a water or beetle condition.

**Midstream.** Midstream Estate Extension 2 was declared an approved township by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Local Authority Notice 2476 of 2003 (Provincial Gazette Extraordinary 517, 25 November 2003). The notice's conditions provide for a home owners' association and make each owner a member of it on transfer of the erf. Those are the 2003 conditions of establishment. We have not confirmed which municipality bills each Midstream sub-estate today. Your municipal account will show who bills you, and the [rates clearance guide](/guides/rates-clearance-certificate-south-africa) explains how that clearance works.

**Estates and electric fences.** Regulation 12(4) puts the duty to hold a fence certificate on the "user or lessor" of the electric fence system. In an estate, the perimeter fence may be owned and run by the home owners' association, and who the user of that fence is, you or the association, is a question for your attorney. Ask the association which fence certificates it holds, and whether any fence on your own erf is a separate system you must certify.

## Sectional title

A sectional title unit raises two questions this guide cannot settle. The first is which part of the electrical installation, and of any fence or gas supply, is yours as the user or lessor, and which belongs to the body corporate. The second is which certificates the scheme already holds. Ask the managing agent and your conveyancing attorney both questions before you book an electrician.

A sectional title sale also needs a levy clearance from the body corporate. The [rates and levy clearance guide](/guides/rates-clearance-certificate-south-africa) sets out the section of the Sectional Titles Act behind it, with its source. How sectional title differs from freehold is in [sectional title versus freehold](/guides/sectional-title-vs-freehold-south-africa).

## Building plans and alterations

Separately from the certificates, section 4(1) of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, as gazetted in 1977, says no person may, without the prior written approval of the local authority, erect a building for which plans and specifications are to be submitted under the Act. The Act says "erection" includes, among other things, alteration, conversion, extension, rebuilding, repair and addition. We read the Act as gazetted; later amendments are for your attorney to confirm.

Unapproved work, such as an enclosed patio, a converted garage or a cottage in the garden, can come up in a sale. Find your approved plans, or ask your municipality for copies, before you list. What a seller must tell a buyer about unapproved work is covered in [seller disclosure and voetstoots](/guides/seller-disclosure-and-voetstoots), and what it means for your sale is a question for your attorney.

## Keeping the originals

Privately's Document Vault is one place to keep the certificates once you have them. It has a slot for each certificate type (electrical, plumbing and water, gas, electric fence, and beetle or borer) and an optional expiry date. It shows "Expires in N days" once the date is within 60 days. If you use it for the electrical certificate, treat the date you enter as a reminder, not as a legal deadline, and ask your attorney which date counts.

When you are ready, you can [list your property](/signup?role=seller) on Privately, starting with a draft, and [find a conveyancing attorney](/attorneys) to run the transfer.

## Frequently asked questions

### What compliance certificates do I need to sell my house in South Africa?

Selling a house normally means holding a valid electrical certificate of compliance: regulation 7 of the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 puts that duty on the user or lessor of the installation and bars a change of ownership on a certificate older than two years. A gas certificate applies where there is gas, an electric fence certificate where there is a fence, and a water certificate where a municipality such as Cape Town requires one. A beetle certificate is needed only when the bank or the offer asks. Ask your conveyancing attorney which apply to you.

### Can you sell a house without a COC?

Regulation 7 bars the owner from allowing a change of ownership on an electrical certificate older than two years (regulation 7(5)), but it gives no role to the Deeds Office, the conveyancer or the bank and does not say what happens to a transfer without one. Holding no valid electrical certificate breaches regulation 7(1), and regulation 15 makes that an offence, punishable on conviction by a fine or up to 12 months in prison. In practice, whether your sale stalls depends on your offer to purchase, the buyer's bank and what your transferring attorney requires. A narrow exemption in regulation 7(3) covers some old, untouched installations, but as it is worded a home that has changed hands since March 1994 would not fit it. Cape Town's water certificate is a separate by-law duty on the seller. Ask your attorney before you list without a certificate.

### How much does it cost to get a certificate of compliance?

We give no rand figure, because we have not found a published price list we can cite. A quote depends on the home and on whether the first inspection finds faults, in which case repairs come first. Ask two registered electricians for written quotes, and ask whether each includes the test report, a re-test after repairs and travel.

### Who is responsible for the COC when selling a house?

Regulation 7 puts the duty to hold the electrical certificate on the user or lessor of the installation, which for a home you live in is usually you. For a let, vacant or deceased-estate home, ask your attorney who the user or lessor is. Who pays for the certificate and for repairs is for the offer to purchase, so write it down. An offer can shift the cost to the buyer; ask your attorney what that does to your own duty under the regulation.

### How long is an electrical COC valid for?

Regulation 7(5) gives no validity period. It says that, subject to section 10(4) of the Act (which deals with a written undertaking by the person supplied with an article), the user or lessor may not allow a change of ownership if the certificate is older than two years. It does not say which date counts: signing, lodging or registration. Ask your conveyancing attorney, and check the certificate's age against your likely registration date.

### Do I need an electric fence certificate to sell my house?

Only if there is an electric fence. Regulation 12(4) of the Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011 says the user or lessor of an electric fence system must have a certificate, and that it is transferable. A fence that predates the regulations needs one on alteration, or on a change of ownership after 1 October 2012 (regulation 12(5)). Whether an existing certificate passes to the buyer is a question for the installer and your attorney. In an estate, ask who owns the perimeter fence.

### Do I need a gas certificate to sell a house in Pretoria?

Pretoria is in the City of Tshwane, and the gas rule we found is national, not local. Regulation 17(3) of the Pressure Equipment Regulations, 2009 says an authorised person or approved inspection authority issues a certificate of conformity after a gas installation, modification, alteration or change of user or ownership. It applies where gas is installed. We read it in a reproduction and have not confirmed it is the current text, and we have not checked for a Tshwane by-law, so ask your attorney.

### Is a beetle certificate compulsory in South Africa?

We found no regulation that requires one. It becomes a requirement when the buyer's bank or the offer to purchase asks for it, so read the offer and ask the bank early. How long a beetle certificate counts is whatever the bank or the offer says.

### Do I need a water or plumbing certificate to sell my house?

In Cape Town, the City's Water By-law, 2010 (section 14) says the seller must submit an accredited plumber's certificate before transfer. The by-law has been amended since, so use the City's current form, which says a City of Cape Town registered plumber signs it and the conveyancing attorney submits it. We have not confirmed whether Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni require one, so ask your conveyancing attorney.

## Sources

- [Nedbank: Cost of selling your home (22 August 2025; beetle certificate range; accessed 20 October 2026)](https://personal.nedbank.co.za/learn/blog/cost-of-selling-your-home.html)
- [Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009, GN R.242, Government Gazette 31975, 6 March 2009, regulations 2, 7, 9 and 15 (Department of Employment and Labour, Gazette PDF), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.labour.gov.za/DocumentCenter/Regulations%20and%20Notices/Regulations/Occupational%20Health%20and%20Safety/eir2009.pdf)
- [Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, section 10(4) (gov.za PDF, as gazetted on 2 July 1993; later amended), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/act85of1993.pdf)
- [Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011, GN R.250, regulation 12, electric fences (Acts Online reproduction; the Gazette PDF was not found), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.acts.co.za/occupational-health-/nr250_12_electric_fences)
- [Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011, GN R.250, regulation 13, issuing of an electric fence system certificate (Acts Online reproduction), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.acts.co.za/occupational-health-/nr250_13_issuing_of_electric_fence_system_certificate)
- [Pressure Equipment Regulations, 2009, GN R.734, regulation 17(3), gas (Acts Online reproduction), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.acts.co.za/occupational-health-/per_nr734_17_gas_reticulation_equipment_and_systems)
- [City of Cape Town Water By-law, 2010, section 14 and Schedule 4, as promulgated in PG 6847, 18 February 2011 (the City's copy; later amended), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.capetown.gov.za/_documents/resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Bylaws%20and%20policies/Water%20By-law%202010.pdf)
- [City of Cape Town: Certificate of Compliance of water installation on transfer of ownership (the City's current form, which cites the Water Amendment By-law 2018), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.capetown.gov.za/_documents/resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Forms,%20notices,%20tariffs%20and%20lists/Certificate%20of%20Compliance%20-%20transfer%20of%20ownership.pdf)
- [National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977, section 4(1) and the definition of erection (gov.za, the PDF linked from this page, as gazetted in 1977), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/documents/national-building-regulations-and-building-standards-act-16-apr-2015-1302)
- [Gauteng Provincial Gazette Extraordinary 517, 25 November 2003, Local Authority Notice 2476: Midstream Estate Extension 2 declared an approved township (what it supports: the township and its home owners' association only), accessed 20 October 2026](https://archive.opengazettes.org.za/archive/ZA-GT/2003/provincial-gazette-ZA-GT-vol-9-no-517-dated-2003-11-25.pdf)

## Related guides

- [How to sell your house privately in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/how-to-sell-your-house-privately-in-south-africa)
- [Seller disclosure and the voetstoots clause](https://privately.co.za/guides/seller-disclosure-and-voetstoots)
- [What it really costs to sell a house in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/cost-of-selling-a-house-in-south-africa)
- [Conveyancing and the property transfer process](https://privately.co.za/guides/conveyancing-and-the-transfer-process)
- [What is an offer to purchase in South Africa?](https://privately.co.za/guides/offer-to-purchase-south-africa)

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Figures verified 2026-09-28. General information about South African property practice, not legal or financial advice.

Source: Privately, https://privately.co.za/guides/compliance-certificates-when-selling-a-house