---
title: "Rates clearance and levy clearance certificates when selling"
description: "How a rates clearance certificate works when you sell: what the municipality bills in advance, the 60-day validity, fees, delays and claiming your refund."
url: "https://privately.co.za/guides/rates-clearance-certificate-south-africa"
country: "South Africa"
updated: "2026-10-20"
published: "2026-08-29"
author: "Chandre Niemand"
source: "Privately"
---

# Rates clearance and levy clearance certificates when selling

*Chandre Niemand, Founder, Privately. Published: 2026-08-29.*

## Summary

A rates clearance certificate is the municipality's confirmation that the rates and service charges on a property are paid. Section 118 of the Municipal Systems Act stops the Deeds Office registering a transfer without one. Your conveyancer applies, you pay the arrears plus an amount billed in advance, and the certificate is valid for 60 days from issue. A sectional title unit also needs a levy clearance from the body corporate.

## Rates clearance at a glance

These are the questions sellers ask first, answered briefly. Each answer is explained, with its source, in the sections below.

**Rates clearance certificate: the short answers**

| Question | Short answer |
| --- | --- |
| What is it? | The municipality's certificate that the rates and municipal service charges on a property have been paid. |
| Why do I need one? | Section 118(1) of the Municipal Systems Act stops the registrar of deeds from registering a transfer without it. No certificate, no registration. |
| How do I get one? | You do not normally apply yourself. Your conveyancing attorney applies for clearance figures, you pay the attorney, who holds the money in trust, and the municipality then issues the certificate. |
| Who pays? | The seller settles the amounts due, which are the arrears and the amount billed in advance. Property24, in an article based on information from a conveyancing firm, puts it that way. The conveyancer collects the money and pays the municipality. Who bears the fee for the certificate itself is less settled, so check what your offer to purchase says. |
| What does it cost? | A fee for the application (Ekurhuleni charges R131.90 electronic or R334.31 manual pre-paid, VAT included), plus the clearance figures: your arrears and an amount billed in advance. The figures are the real cost. |
| How many months do I pay in advance? | No municipality we read publishes it. Property24, quoting a conveyancing firm, reports an advance covering 60 days, which the municipality may raise to 120. Ask your conveyancing attorney what yours does. |
| How long does it take? | Section 118 sets no deadline. Johannesburg's page says figures can take as little as 5 working days when the account has no queries, and up to 30 days for the property to be cleared. Property24 reports 5 to 15 working days in stable, well-resourced municipalities, and 30, 60, or even 90 days in some municipalities. We found no time for Ekurhuleni or Tshwane. |
| How long is it valid? | 60 days from the date it is issued. If transfer has not registered by then, new figures are needed. |
| When do I get money back? | After registration, once the council has reconciled the accounts. Property24 reports approximately four to seven months, and says the conveyancer submits the refund form. Ask your attorney who will file it. |

## Two certificates, two different laws

A property transfer needs a rates clearance certificate. Section 118(1) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 stops the registrar of deeds from registering a transfer without one. As enacted, the section says the certificate must confirm that the municipal service fees, surcharges, property rates and other municipal taxes, levies and duties that became due in the two years before the application have been paid. The word levies there means municipal levies. It has nothing to do with your body corporate. The section has been amended since it was enacted, so ask your conveyancing attorney to confirm the current wording.

If you are selling a sectional title unit you need a second certificate. Section 15B(3) of the Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986 stops the registrar from registering the transfer of a unit unless a conveyancer's certificate confirms that the body corporate has certified that all moneys due to it by the seller in respect of that unit have been paid, or that provision has been made to its satisfaction for payment. So the body corporate certifies and your conveyancer confirms it to the registrar. How a sectional title sale differs from a freehold one is in our [sectional title guide](/guides/sectional-title-vs-freehold-south-africa).

A freehold house in an estate may need a third document: the homeowners association's written consent to transfer. We found no statute that requires it. Whether it applies, and what it asks for, comes from a restrictive condition registered in the title deed and from the estate's own documents, which can be wider than either statute.

**What has to be cleared before the Deeds Office will register**

| Document | Who issues it | Legal basis | What it covers |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rates clearance certificate | The municipality | Section 118(1), Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 | Rates and municipal charges that fell due in the two years before the application. The figures you pay can also include an amount billed in advance. |
| Levy clearance certificate | The body corporate certifies the amount, and your conveyancer confirms it to the registrar | Section 15B(3), Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986 | All moneys due to the body corporate by the owner in respect of that unit. The wording has no two year limit. |
| Consent to transfer | The homeowners association | A restrictive condition in the title deed, not a statute we could find | Whatever the estate's own documents require, which can include levies and other charges |

## What it costs: the fee and the figures

Two different amounts get called the cost of a rates clearance certificate, and sellers mix them up. The first is the fee for the application. The second is the clearance figures: what you owe the municipality, plus the amount it bills in advance. The fee is small next to the figures.

The only fee schedule we could read is Ekurhuleni's (Schedule 6, Tariffs: Financial Services, council 28 May 2026, effective 1 July 2026). It lists R334.31 for a manual pre-paid application for clearance figures, R131.90 for an electronic one and R82.97 for a duplicate certificate, all VAT included. Against the R8 000 to R16 000 advance in the worked example below, the manual fee is about 2% to 4%. Tariffs like these can change from year to year, so ask your conveyancing attorney for the current fee. The schedule lists no other clearance charge, but we have not checked every Ekurhuleni tariff, so ask whether anything else applies. We found no published fee for Johannesburg or Tshwane.

Your conveyancing attorney may also charge for the work of applying and collecting the money. That is the attorney's fee, not the municipality's, so ask for it in a written quote. Our [cost of selling guide](/guides/cost-of-selling-a-house-in-south-africa) puts it beside the other costs a seller pays.

**What you pay to get the certificate, and what each amount is**

| Item | What it is | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Application fee, electronic (Ekurhuleni) | A municipal tariff for applying for clearance figures | R131.90, VAT included |
| Application fee, manual pre-paid (Ekurhuleni) | The same tariff for a manual application | R334.31, VAT included |
| Duplicate certificate (Ekurhuleni) | A tariff for a second copy | R82.97, VAT included |
| Arrears | Anything unpaid that fell due in the two years before the application | Whatever your account shows |
| Billed in advance | An estimate of rates and services for the months ahead. Property24 reports that the unused part comes back after registration. | R8 000 to R16 000 in the worked example (R4 000 a month for 2 to 4 months). Your municipality sets its own. |

## Who applies, and the months you pay up front

You do not normally deal with the municipality yourself. Your transferring attorney, who runs the [transfer process](/guides/conveyancing-and-the-transfer-process), applies, and Johannesburg's own page describes the conveyancer applying to its Clearance Unit. If you are selling without an agent, you can browse [conveyancing attorneys on Privately](/attorneys) and nominate one. If you have a bond, your bank's cancellation figures are a separate set of figures; see [selling a house with a bond](/guides/selling-a-house-with-a-bond-south-africa).

The figures are not just your arrears. They can also include an advance. Property24, in an article based on information from the conveyancing firm Abrahams & Gross (2 September 2026), says the advance covers 60 days, the period for which the certificate is valid. Whether a municipality can insist on payment for a period after the certificate is a legal question, so ask your conveyancing attorney whether the advance your municipality asks for has to be paid.

How far ahead varies, and no municipality we read publishes a figure. Ekurhuleni's policy does not say how many months it bills ahead, and Johannesburg's page does not either. Property24 reports that the municipality may require up to 120 days, and its 21 April 2026 article describes a projected advance of 3 to 4 months. Those are a property portal's reports, not any municipality's own figure, so ask your conveyancing attorney what yours does before you budget. For scale, take a household paying R4 000 a month across rates and all services. 60 days is about 2 months, or R8 000, and 120 days is about 4 months, or R16 000. That is an example and not a rule, but it is cash you need at a point where the house has not yet been paid for. It belongs in your [cost of selling](/guides/cost-of-selling-a-house-in-south-africa) from the start, not in a phone call three weeks before registration.

The 60 days comes from section 118(1A) of the Municipal Systems Act, which says a prescribed certificate is valid for 60 days from the date it has been issued (the wording as Schindlers Attorneys quote it). Section 19 of the Local Government Laws Amendment Act 19 of 2008 replaced 120 days in that subsection with 60. That Act was assented to on 9 October 2008 and published on 13 October 2008, and the text we read has no separate commencement section. Schindlers say the change took effect on 13 October 2008. We have not had that confirmed by an attorney, so ask yours which period applies to your transfer. Schindlers also describe Chief Registrar's Circular 2 of 2018, under which Deeds Office examiners treat a certificate as valid for 60 days whatever longer date a municipality prints on it, and a Circular 4 of 2018 that explains it. We have not seen either circular, so treat that description as a pointer.

- **Your conveyancing attorney applies** to the municipality for clearance figures.
- **The municipality issues an assessment:** your arrears plus any amount it bills in advance.
- **You pay that amount to the attorney, who holds it in trust.**
- **The attorney pays the municipality.**
- **The municipality issues the certificate.** Johannesburg's page says this follows within 24 hours of payment.
- **The Deeds Office registers the transfer** while the certificate is still valid.

**From application to refund: what the sources we read say about timing**

| Stage | What the source says | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Figures issued (Johannesburg) | As little as 5 working days if there are no problems or queries on the account | City of Johannesburg, Clearance Certificates page (undated; its footer says 2018) |
| Property cleared (Johannesburg) | Up to 30 days from the City receiving the application | City of Johannesburg, Clearance Certificates page |
| Certificate issued (Johannesburg) | Within 24 hours of payment | City of Johannesburg, Clearance Certificates page |
| Figures and certificate (Ekurhuleni and Tshwane) | No time stated. Ask your conveyancing attorney. | Ekurhuleni's tariff schedule and policy state none; we found no Tshwane page |
| Time to expect, as reported | 5 to 15 working days in stable, well-resourced municipalities, and 30, 60, or even 90 days in some municipalities | Property24, 21 April 2026 (a property portal's report, not any municipality's own figure) |
| Time to expect, a law firm's view | No statutory deadline. Figures reasonably within 10 to 14 days and the certificate within 5 days of payment, for a sale with no account or meter problems | Schindlers Attorneys, 29 September 2020 (an opinion, not a rule) |
| Advance billed | An advance covering 60 days, which the municipality may raise to 120. The 21 April article also describes a projected advance of 3 to 4 months. Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg state none. | Property24, 2 September 2026 (based on information from Abrahams & Gross) and 21 April 2026 |
| Certificate valid | 60 days from issue | Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000, section 118(1A), as amended in 2008 |
| Refund of the unused advance | After registration, once the council has reconciled the seller's and buyer's accounts: approximately four to seven months, as reported. The conveyancer submits the refund form, the same reports say. | Property24, 2 September 2026 and 21 April 2026. Johannesburg's page and Ekurhuleni's policy give no refund time |

## Rates clearance in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Johannesburg

Each municipality sets its own application route, fee and turnaround, and they publish very different amounts of it. The table sets out only what we could read in their own documents on 19 and 20 October 2026, and marks what we could not find. For anything not shown, ask your conveyancing attorney, who applies on your behalf.

**What three Gauteng municipalities publish about rates clearance**

| Municipality | What its own documents say | What we could not find |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ekurhuleni | Its tariff schedule lists the application fees in the cost table above. Its Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy (clause 4.7, council 23 June 2026) says a certificate issues once the two years before the application are paid, that the City may seek an urgent interdict against a sale, and that a new owner is not liable for debts arising before transfer. It runs an online Rates Clearance System at ratesclearance.ekurhuleni.gov.za. That page gives an email address and a phone number for enquiries (Ratesclearance@ekurhuleni.gov.za, 011 999 5102) but states no process or fee. | How many months are billed in advance, and how long the City takes. Ask your conveyancing attorney. |
| Johannesburg | Its Clearance Certificates page is written for conveyancers, who apply to its Clearance Unit. It says figures can take as little as 5 working days if the account has no problems or queries, and that clearing the property takes up to 30 days from the City receiving the application. It says account issues must be resolved and arrears paid before it accepts a request, and that arrears older than two years stay due from the seller on registration. A disputed amount goes to Joburg Connect (the page gives 0860 562 874). A sectional title owner applies individually, not through the body corporate. The certificate is issued within 24 hours of payment and is valid for 60 days. The page is undated. | A fee, how many months are billed in advance, and when refunds are paid. |
| Tshwane | We found no official City of Tshwane page with fees, times or validity. A 2020 registration guide published by the Pretoria Attorneys Association, a secondary source, says attorneys apply for clearance certificates through the Clearance Certificate menu on the e-Tshwane portal, and that the City's clearance department must first load an attorney's email address. It gives no fee, time or validity. | The fee, the turnaround, how many months are billed in advance and the validity the City applies. Ask your conveyancing attorney or the City. |

## Which municipality bills your home

Your latest rates account shows which municipality bills you, and it is the quickest check. A township notice can help too. Midstream Estate Extension 2 was declared a township by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (Kempton Park Service Delivery Centre) in Provincial Gazette Extraordinary 517 of 25 November 2003, Local Authority Notice 2476. That notice dates from 2003 and covers one extension.

We have not checked which municipality bills Midlands Estate or Midfield, or any other extension. For those, go by your rates account and ask your conveyancing attorney.

## Why this step delays transfers

Clearance figures depend on the municipality, and nobody else in the deal controls it. Your [compliance certificates](/guides/compliance-certificates-when-selling-a-house) are in your hands, and your bank's cancellation process is one you can ask about. Schindlers Attorneys (2020) say section 118 sets no time limit for issuing figures or the certificate, and that most municipalities' by-laws and policies set none either, so the test is what is reasonable. Their own view is that figures should reasonably take no longer than 10 to 14 days and the certificate no longer than 5 days after payment, for a sale with no account or meter problems. That is a law firm's opinion, not a rule, and the Johannesburg and Property24 times above show real waits can be longer. Their conclusion is that certainty would need a court ruling, so they recommend taking professional advice.

If the buyer moves in before registration, a delay lengthens the period for which [occupational rent](/guides/occupational-rent-south-africa) is payable. Agree in writing who pays what in that gap.

Two sources point at the account as the usual cause of delay. Johannesburg's page says account issues must be resolved and arrears paid before it accepts a request, and Schindlers leave account and meter problems out of their estimate. The causes below are common experience among conveyancers rather than something we sourced, so use them as a checklist before you list, not as a diagnosis.

- **The account does not match the property.** Wrong owner name, an old ID number, one account spanning two erven, or a subdivision the municipality never split.
- **The meter readings are estimates.** A special reading may have to be booked, which adds time. Schindlers allow for a meter delay of up to about 21 days in some cases, in their view.
- **There is an unresolved dispute on the account.** Until it is closed out the disputed amount stays in the figures and the transfer waits behind it.
- **The seller is a deceased estate, a trust or a company.** More documents and verification can be needed, and that can add delay.
- **The certificate expires.** The 60 days pass without registration and the conveyancer has to re-apply, as Johannesburg's page puts it. You may need new figures and a further payment, so ask your attorney what happens to the first payment.

## Historical debt: what the municipality may and may not do

Two questions matter to a seller here: whether old debt can hold up your certificate, and whether it follows the house to your buyer.

**Old debt and the certificate.** Section 118(1), as enacted, ties the certificate to the two years before the application: it certifies that what fell due in that period has been paid. Ekurhuleni's own policy reads the same way. A 2013 Supreme Court of Appeal decision, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality v Mathabathe, is linked in our sources for the two year limit, but we have not read the judgment and this guide does not rest on it. If a municipality refuses to issue because of an older balance, ask your conveyancing attorney to put the section 118(1) point to it in writing.

**Old debt and your buyer.** Section 118(3) makes municipal charges a charge upon the property, and that charge ranks ahead of any bond registered over it. Municipalities argued that the charge survived transfer and could be enforced against whoever now owned the house.

The Constitutional Court dealt with this in Jordaan and Others v City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and Others [2017] ZACC 31 (we read the court's record and media summary). The charge does not survive transfer: a new owner is not liable for debt that arose before transfer, and Ekurhuleni's policy says the same. The debt stays yours, personally. The municipality can still pursue you for it, and Ekurhuleni's policy says the City may seek an urgent interdict against a sale, so it can try to stop the sale, but it cannot follow the house into the buyer's hands. Johannesburg's page likewise says arrears older than two years stay due from the seller on registration.

The practical reading: old debt should not block your certificate and should not become your buyer's problem, but it does not evaporate either. Deal with it rather than hoping registration erases it.

## The levy clearance certificate and HOA consent

In sectional title the body corporate has an embargo of its own, and it is wider than the municipality's. Section 118(1) looks back two years. Section 15B(3) of the Sectional Titles Act, as the Supreme Court of Appeal quotes it in Body Corporate of Marsh Rose v Steinmuller [2023] ZASCA 143, reaches all moneys due to the body corporate by the owner in respect of the unit, and its wording has no two year limit. The body corporate certifies the amount, and the conveyancer confirms it to the registrar. The rates clearance and the levy clearance are separate applications: Johannesburg's page says a sectional title owner applies for the rates clearance individually and not through the body corporate.

Marsh Rose (judgment delivered 2 November 2023) was a sale in execution, not a private sale. The buyer at the auction disputed the body corporate's figures, which included interest and legal fees (para 4), and offered security instead. The Supreme Court of Appeal held that the embargo gives the body corporate a statutory right to resist transfer until all moneys due to it are paid or it is satisfied that arrangements for payment have been made (para 26), that the buyer's contract of sale could not limit that right (para 28), and that he had no legal interest in the dispute over the amount (para 29). It did not decide whether a court can regulate security for a disputed amount (paras 34 and 35). A seller who disputes the figures is not in the buyer's position in that case, so do not read it as telling you how a court would treat your dispute. Take your conveyancing attorney's advice.

What can be in the figures. Marsh Rose (para 27) records that in Barnard NO v Regspersoon van Aminie [2001] 3 All SA 433 (A) the Supreme Court of Appeal held that legal costs incurred in recovering what an owner owed fall within the embargo, beside arrear levies and interest. We have not read Barnard itself. So the figures may include arrear levies, interest and the body corporate's costs of recovery.

The figures may include interest on arrear levies. Whether interest can be charged, and at what rate, depends on the scheme's rules and the law, and we have not confirmed that for this guide. If the interest line is large, ask the managing agent for the resolution or rule it rests on and have your conveyancing attorney check it.

Special contributions are the trap sellers walk into. Section 3(3) of the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act 8 of 2011 says a special contribution becomes due when the trustees pass the resolution levying it, and may be recovered, by application to an ombud, from the people who owned units when it was passed. A proviso adds that on a change of ownership the successor in title becomes liable for the pro rata payment of such contributions from the date of change. The Act does not define pro rata there and does not mention instalments. So how a special levy splits between you and your buyer is not something the Act spells out. One reading, and only one, is that if a roof levy was resolved in March and the sale registers in June, you owe what fell due up to transfer and your buyer the part that falls due after. Ask the managing agent for a written statement of who bears each part, and agree it in the offer to purchase before you agree a price.

The certificate may issue where provision has been made to the satisfaction of the body corporate, so security instead of cash is possible in principle. It is the body corporate that has to be satisfied (Marsh Rose, paras 26 and 29), and the court left open whether it can be compelled to accept security for a disputed amount. If you genuinely dispute the amount, the Community Schemes Ombud Service deals with disputes between owners and their schemes, but we have no figure for how long an adjudication takes and cannot promise it would move your registration date. One option to put to your attorney is paying under protest, in writing, to get the certificate, and pursuing the dispute afterwards. Ask your attorney to word any protest, because the wording affects whether the claim is preserved.

Homeowners association consent is a different thing, and we found no statute that requires it. If your freehold home is in an estate, a condition in the title deed may require the association's written consent before the property is transferred, and the association's own documents say what it asks for. Marsh Rose (para 18) records that in Willow Waters Homeowners Association v Koka NO [2014] ZASCA 220 the Supreme Court of Appeal dealt with an embargo provision incorporated in a title deed, looking at the statutory embargoes in section 118 and the Insolvency Act to do so. We have not read Willow Waters, so we cannot say whether or how far an estate's condition is enforceable, or what it can cover. We have not read any estate's documents for this guide either. Ask the association or its managing agent for its transfer requirements in writing, and give them to your conveyancing attorney at the start.

## Getting your money back afterwards

The advance is not a fee, and the part not used comes back after registration. Property24 says a refund usually arises when transfer registers before the 60 days run out. Registration itself does not return the money.

The Deeds Office record changes on the day of registration. The municipality's billing record changes when it processes the change of ownership and reconciles the seller's and buyer's accounts, and until then there is nothing to refund. Property24, in an article based on information from Abrahams & Gross, says the council can take approximately four to seven months to reconcile the accounts and pay the refund. Neither Johannesburg's page nor Ekurhuleni's policy gives a refund time, so ask your conveyancing attorney what to expect for your municipality.

Who files the refund? The same Property24 article says the conveyancer submits a refund form to the council after registration. Practice may differ, so ask your attorney, in writing, who will file it, when, and what the municipality will need. We found no published list of documents.

- Ask your conveyancing attorney who will file the refund, and put a reminder in your diary for the week after registration to check that it has been filed.
- Keep the receipt for the clearance payment in case it is asked for when the refund is claimed; it is the document sellers cannot find a year later.
- Ask which months the advance covers before you cancel or keep your monthly debit order, so you do not pay for the same period twice and then have to claim one back.
- Expect municipal bills to keep arriving after registration. Do not ignore them. Reply in writing with the registration date and the title deed details, and keep the reference number.
- In sectional title, ask the managing agent and your conveyancing attorney how your levy account will be apportioned to the registration date and how any credit comes back to you.

## How to chase a slow municipality

There is no magic escalation, and we found no published escalation path for the three municipalities above. What follows is a sequence of sensible steps, not a procedure any of them sets out. It starts long before you have a buyer.

- **Fix the account before you list.** Confirm the owner name and ID are correct, that meters are being read rather than estimated, and that no dispute is open. Johannesburg's page says account issues must be resolved and arrears paid before it accepts a request, and each of these is easier to fix before a sale than during one.
- **Ask your attorney to apply as early as your sale allows.** An agent quoted by Property24 on 21 April 2026 calls waiting until every condition of sale is met the biggest mistake. Your attorney will know whether your sale can start earlier. The 60 days run from the date the certificate is issued, and Johannesburg's page says it issues within 24 hours of payment, so also ask your attorney how to time the payment against the likely registration date.
- **Put every query in writing and get a reference number.** Section 95(f) of the Municipal Systems Act requires a municipality, within its financial and administrative capacity, to provide accessible mechanisms to query or verify accounts, and appeal procedures that allow prompt redress for inaccurate accounts. Section 95(g) adds mechanisms for complaints, with prompt replies and corrective action. A written query with a reference number is what makes those provisions usable later. In Johannesburg the page says a disputed amount goes to Joburg Connect.
- **Escalate inside the municipality, in writing.** A common route is the revenue or rates clearance department first, then the responsible manager, then the municipal manager's office, but we found no published path. Dated emails leave a trace that call centre conversations do not.
- **Have your conveyancer send a formal demand.** Your attorney can write quoting section 118 and your reference numbers. Whether it moves a particular municipality is not something we can promise.
- **Ask your attorney whether a complaint to the Public Protector is worth making.** It can investigate maladministration in government, but we have not checked whether it would take a delay in clearance figures, and it is slow.
- **Ask your attorney about a court application to compel the municipality.** Schindlers conclude that certainty on a delay would need a court ruling, and recommend taking professional advice. Court action takes time and money, and we cannot say how often it works.

## Where this fits when you sell privately

Clearance is one step in a longer timeline, and selling without an agent does not change it. [How to sell your house privately](/guides/how-to-sell-your-house-privately-in-south-africa) shows where it sits among the other steps. To find a transferring attorney, browse [conveyancing attorneys on Privately](/attorneys), and when you are ready you can [list your property](/signup?role=seller).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a rates clearance certificate in South Africa?

It is a certificate from the municipality confirming that rates and municipal service charges on a property have been paid. Section 118(1) of the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 stops the registrar of deeds from registering a transfer without it, so a property cannot change hands until it is issued.

### How do I get a rates clearance certificate?

You do not normally apply yourself. Your conveyancing attorney applies to the municipality for clearance figures, you pay the attorney, who holds the money in trust and pays the municipality, and the certificate follows. Ask your attorney to apply as early as your sale allows, and fix your municipal account before you list so the figures come back without queries.

### How much does a rates clearance certificate cost?

The application fee is small and the figures are the real cost. The only fee schedule we could read is Ekurhuleni's, effective 1 July 2026: R334.31 for a manual pre-paid application, R131.90 electronic and R82.97 for a duplicate certificate, VAT included. The figures are your arrears plus an amount billed in advance, and the unused part of the advance comes back after registration. We found no published fee for Johannesburg or Tshwane, so ask your conveyancing attorney for your municipality's current fee and any other charge.

### How long does a rates clearance certificate take?

Section 118 sets no deadline. Schindlers Attorneys (2020) say the test is what is reasonable and put their own view at 10 to 14 days for figures and 5 days for the certificate after payment, where the account and meters are in order. Johannesburg's page says figures can take as little as 5 working days if the account has no problems or queries, up to 30 days for the property to be cleared, and the certificate within 24 hours of payment. Property24 reports 5 to 15 working days in stable, well-resourced municipalities and 30, 60, or even 90 days in some municipalities. The Ekurhuleni documents we read give no time, and we found no official Tshwane page. Ask your conveyancing attorney.

### How long is a rates clearance certificate valid?

60 days from the date it is issued, under section 118(1A) of the Municipal Systems Act as amended by section 19 of the Local Government Laws Amendment Act 19 of 2008. Johannesburg's page says the same. If the transfer does not register inside that window the certificate lapses and new figures must be applied for. Schindlers say the amendment took effect on 13 October 2008 and describe a Deeds Office circular on the 60 days, which we have not seen, so ask your conveyancing attorney to confirm the period they work to.

### How many months of rates do you pay in advance when selling?

It varies by municipality, and no municipality we read publishes a figure. Ekurhuleni's policy does not say how many months it bills, and neither does Johannesburg's page. Property24 reports an advance covering 60 days, which the municipality may raise to 120, and describes a projected advance of 3 to 4 months in another article. Those are a portal's reports, not a municipality's own figure. Ask your conveyancing attorney for your municipality's actual practice, and whether the advance has to be paid, before you budget.

### Who pays for the rates clearance certificate?

The seller settles the amounts due to get the certificate, which are the arrears and the amount billed in advance. Property24, in an article based on information from the conveyancing firm Abrahams & Gross, says it is the seller's responsibility. The conveyancer collects the money and pays the municipality. Who bears the fee for the certificate itself is less settled, so check what your offer to purchase says and ask your conveyancing attorney before you budget.

### Do you get the rates clearance advance back?

Yes, the unused part, after registration. Property24, in an article based on information from Abrahams & Gross, says the council can take approximately four to seven months to reconcile the accounts and pay it, and that the conveyancer submits the refund form after registration. Neither Johannesburg's page nor Ekurhuleni's policy states a refund time. Ask your conveyancing attorney who will file the refund and when.

### Can a municipality refuse a clearance certificate over old debt?

On the section's wording the certificate covers what fell due in the two years before the application, and Ekurhuleni's own policy says a certificate issues once those two years are paid. Older debt stays the seller's personal debt and the municipality can pursue it (Ekurhuleni's policy says it may apply for an interdict against a sale; whether a court grants one is another matter), but it should not hold up the certificate. If a municipality refuses, ask your conveyancing attorney to challenge it in writing.

### Is the buyer liable for the seller's old municipal debt after transfer?

No. In Jordaan v City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality the Constitutional Court held that the section 118(3) charge on the property does not survive transfer against the new owner, and Ekurhuleni's policy says a new owner is not liable, from the charge on the property under section 118(3), for debts arising before transfer. Debt incurred before transfer stays with the person who incurred it.

### What is a levy clearance certificate?

It is the sectional title equivalent. Section 15B(3) of the Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986 stops the registrar from registering the transfer of a unit unless a conveyancer's certificate confirms that the body corporate has certified that all moneys due to it by the transferor in respect of the unit have been paid, or that provision to its satisfaction has been made. The wording has no two year limit, the body corporate or its managing agent supplies the figures, and the seller pays what is owed.

### Do I need an HOA clearance certificate to sell?

We found no statute that requires one. If your freehold home is in an estate, a condition in the title deed may require the homeowners association's written consent to transfer, and the association's own documents say what it asks for. We cannot say how far such a condition is enforceable. Ask the association or its managing agent for its requirements in writing, and give them to your conveyancing attorney at the start.

## Sources

- [Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000, sections 95 and 118 as enacted (gov.za PDF), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a32-000.pdf)
- [Local Government Laws Amendment Act 19 of 2008, section 19, GG 31509, 13 October 2008 (gov.za PDF; replaces 120 days with 60 in section 118(1A)), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/315091098.pdf)
- [Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986 (gov.za listing page; it does not show the section text, so we quote section 15B(3) from footnote 1 of the Marsh Rose judgment below), accessed 19 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/documents/sectional-titles-act-17-sep-1986-0000)
- [Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act 8 of 2011, section 3(3) (gov.za PDF), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a82011.pdf)
- [Jordaan and Others v City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and Others [2017] ZACC 31: court record and media summary (Constitutional Court), accessed 19 October 2026](https://collections.concourt.org.za/handle/20.500.12144/3886)
- [Body Corporate of Marsh Rose v Steinmuller and Others [2023] ZASCA 143 (2 November 2023): full judgment (Supreme Court of Appeal), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.supremecourtofappeal.org.za/index.php/judgements/send/48-judgment-2023/4109-the-body-corporate-of-marsh-rose-v-steinmuller-and-others-149-2022-2023-zasca-143-2-november-2023)
- [City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality v Mathabathe and Another [2013] ZASCA 60 (SAFLII). Linked for the two year limit; we have not read the judgment, because SAFLII blocked automated access on 19 October 2026](https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2013/60.html)
- [City of Ekurhuleni: Schedule 6, Tariffs: Financial Services 2026/27 (council 28 May 2026, effective 1 July 2026), accessed 19 October 2026](https://www.ekurhuleni.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Schedule-6-Sundry-Services-2026-27-V2-3.4_.pdf)
- [City of Ekurhuleni: Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy, Annexure E8 (council 23 June 2026), clause 4.7, accessed 19 October 2026](https://www.ekurhuleni.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Annexure-E8-Cr-Control-Debt-Collection.pdf)
- [City of Ekurhuleni: Rates Clearance System (the page gives an enquiries email address and phone number and states no process or fee), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://ratesclearance.ekurhuleni.gov.za)
- [City of Johannesburg: Clearance Certificates (undated; footer 2018), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.joburg.org.za/services_/buyingsellingproperty/Pages/clearance-certificates.aspx)
- [Gauteng Provincial Gazette Extraordinary 517, 25 November 2003, Local Authority Notice 2476 (Midstream Estate Extension 2), accessed 19 October 2026](https://archive.opengazettes.org.za/archive/ZA-GT/2003/provincial-gazette-ZA-GT-vol-9-no-517-dated-2003-11-25.pdf)
- [City of Tshwane: e-Tshwane portal (opened; we found no clearance page with fees, times or validity), accessed 19 October 2026](https://www.e-tshwane.co.za/)
- [Pretoria Attorneys Association: e-Tshwane registration guide for clearance certificates (15 June 2020; a secondary source; we read the PDF guide the page links to), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.ppv.co.za/e-tshwane-registration-guide-clearance-certificates/)
- [Schindlers Attorneys: Deeds Office v Municipalities, the 60 day rule and rates clearances (25 September 2018; a law firm's account of Chief Registrar's Circulars 2 and 4 of 2018, which we have not seen), accessed 19 and 20 October 2026](https://www.schindlers.co.za/deeds-office-v-municipalities-the-60-day-rule-and-rates-clearances/)
- [Schindlers Attorneys: How long does a municipality legally have to provide rates clearance figures after application therefor has been made? (29 September 2020; a law firm's opinion, not a rule), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.schindlers.co.za/how-long-does-a-municipality-legally-have-to-provide-rates-clearance-figures-after-application-therefor-has-been-made/)
- [Property24: Managing municipal delays in time-sensitive property transfers (21 April 2026; a property portal's article, not any municipality's figures), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.property24.com/articles/managing-municipal-delays-in-time-sensitive-property-transfers/33018)
- [Property24: Rates certificates: Requirements, costs, and rules for sellers (2 September 2026; based on information from the conveyancers Abrahams & Gross), accessed 20 October 2026](https://www.property24.com/articles/rates-certificates-requirements-costs-and-rules-for-sellers/32310)

## Related guides

- [Conveyancing and the property transfer process](https://privately.co.za/guides/conveyancing-and-the-transfer-process)
- [Compliance certificates you need to sell a house in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/compliance-certificates-when-selling-a-house)
- [What it really costs to sell a house in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/cost-of-selling-a-house-in-south-africa)
- [Sectional title vs freehold in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/sectional-title-vs-freehold-south-africa)
- [Selling a house with a bond in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/selling-a-house-with-a-bond-south-africa)
- [What is occupational rent in South Africa?](https://privately.co.za/guides/occupational-rent-south-africa)
- [How to sell your house privately in South Africa](https://privately.co.za/guides/how-to-sell-your-house-privately-in-south-africa)

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Figures verified 2026-10-19. General information about South African property practice, not legal or financial advice.

Source: Privately, https://privately.co.za/guides/rates-clearance-certificate-south-africa