FAQ’s
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much is the current monthly homeowner levy?
2. What is the monthly levy used for?
The monthly levy is budgeted for annually and covers predominantly the general costs of the operational management of the Estate. Monthly costs include administration of accounts, security, repairs & maintenance, landscaping, staff remuneration etc.
3. How much is the Endowment Levy?
It’s 0.5% of the Sales Price (property + home), payable to the HOA upon transfer of any property on the Estate.
4. Who runs the Estate?
The Estate Manager who along with his assistant, are based in the Estate Office located in the Blouberg Hills gatehouse. He is responsible for the daily management and operations of the Estate and reports directly to the Board of Trustees who makes all the decisions for the overall management of the Estate on behalf of its Members.
5. Pin Codes are ONLY for Friends & Family, so how does a Service Provider/Contractor and Delivery/Collection gain access to my home?
For a service provider/contractor (incl. estate agents!), choose the 2nd (red cross) option on our App to send them a QR Code, which includes a link to their Code of Conduct for Estate entry and work, incl. a few basic Rules e.g. NO WALKING. A R1000 penalty will be issued over a property where a Pin Code (1st option/green cross on our App) has been issued to anyone other than a friend or family member. Keep it simple for security and compliance please, e.g. a friend or family member coming to do work at your home is a service provider/contractor…
Deliveries & Collections (e.g. UBER) may only gain Estate entry via ‘Confirmation For Entry’ from the Resident, i.e. Security Officer will call the resident via contact number/s listed for their property on their intercom. NO CONFIRMATION, NO ENTRY!
REMEMBER that a pin code can be used by multiple people until midnight on the day of its expiry (and a QR Code by multiple people until 17h00 on the day of its expiry), so if issued to someone in error (or if an appointment or visit is cancelled etc.), for everyone’s security PLEASE IMMEDIATELY REVOKE THE CODE via the ‘Revoke Invitation’ tab on our App.
6. Who may waive or relax a penalty and/or Estate Rule?
Only the Board of Trustees; not security nor HOA staff (incl. Estate Manager).
7. Who may amend or remove an Estate Rule or Contractor/Service Provider Rule?
According to the Constitution, a min. of ¾ of all Trustees have to approve any change to these rules.
8. How many Trustees are there on the Board and who are they?
The HOA Constitution allows for a maximum of 7 and a minimum of 3 Trustees. The Trustees own property on the Estate and are nominated to the position at an AGM or co-opted by the current Board of Trustees upon the early departure of another Trustee. A Chair and Vice-Chair are appointed by the Board during their first official meeting after the AGM, and each Trustee is partly or wholly responsible for a Portfolio, including Security, Admin, Landscaping, Repairs & Maintenance, Finance, Building & Environment, Marketing & Communications.
9. Do we get a warning before a fine/penalty is issued by the HOA ?
Service Provider/Contractor penalties are not subject to warnings, however at the discretion of the Board of Trustees, <dependent on severity> most penalties for residents and/or homeowners will only be applicable upon the 3rd related/similar incident, i.e. to clarify: 1st & 2nd warnings might be issued before a penalty is levied.
10. Are there any truck restrictions and what are they?
Yes, only ‘fixed axle’ vehicles/trucks are permitted access to the Estate (i.e. no horse and trailer), with max. 9.1m length from axle to axle. Vehicles with fluid leaks (eg. oil, diesel, hydraulic etc.) will be denied entry outright and told to park in the main road, off our paving. Both the Driver and Vehicle need to have valid licences (i.e. No licence, No entry).
11. What are the rules regarding installation of solar/PV panels?
01) For solar/PV panel installations a timeous email submission must be made to & (free review & approval process), with i) a web link to (and/or soft copy brochure/pic of) preferred solar/PV panels; ii) a roof plan (drawing/sketch) indicating proposed location, size and the number of panels on your roof; & iii) including all the notes 2 – 12 below on said ‘drawing’ for (free, but formal submission and) ultimately HOA approval.
02) Landscape/Horizontal and Portrait/Vertical panels may NOT be used/mixed up on the same roof plane, i.e. must be either portrait or horizontal; not both;
03) Where panels are staggered/stepped down a roof plane, they must remain the same distance from roof hips;
04) Solar/PV panels etc. may not extend above/beyond or closer than 300mm to roof profiles/transitions, i.e. min. 300mm from roof ridge, hip, valley, parapet, gable etc. They may drop right down to gutters though;
05) Solar/PV panels must be installed at the same angle/pitch as the roof and be parallel/perpendicular to the gutter and/or ridge line/s;
06) Solar/PV panels etc. may not have any stickers and/or advertising on them;
07) Solar/PV panel frames may be matt graphite/dark grey, matt black, or natural anodised aluminium;
08) NO exposed conduits permitted on a roof, however if unavoidable (e.g. proven exposed trusses, i.e. unable to run cables in ceiling void), with prior written approval of location/s by the HOA, the conduit must be painted black or dark/graphite grey;
09) No portion of the substructure may protrude beyond the solar/PV panels, i.e. rails are to be cut back to match panel widths;
10) All surface-mounted pipes on walls etc. must comprise (or be concealed in) uPVC conduits/trunking, secured perfectly horizontally and/or vertically (not angled/sloping) and be professionally primed and painted to exactly match the colour of the surface behind it;
11) If ANY of the above cannot be achieved on site (i.e. a waiver is required, e.g. due to truss spacings etc), the HOA must be contacted to approve same in writing BEFORE proceeding with, or completing, the installation;
12) HOA must be contacted to sign off ‘final’ installation in accordance with HOA approved sketch/drawing (in 01) above, or subsequent written agreement/s, failing which problems (or delays in transfer) could arise upon property sale one day, if not sooner, due to complaints.
12. What are the rules regarding pool heating and air-conditioner installations?
01) Top of aircon condenser etc. units to be installed max. 1200mm above external natural ground level (NGL) below, however if a larger unit is required, the top of the unit may not be higher than the nearest screen and/or boundary wall, but DEFINITELY not higher than 1800mm off NGL, regardless of screen/boundary wall height;
02) Aircon units and solar geysers/tanks MAY NOT BE VISIBLE from any road or POS (Private/Public Open Space), e.g. over a wall, through a gate, palisade fence etc. Please refer BBREHOA Architectural Design Manual (ADM) for permissible gate and/or palisade screening;
03) Panels may not extend above/beyond or closer than 300mm to roof profiles/transitions, e.g. roof ridge, hip, valley, parapet, gable etc. They may drop down to gutters though;
04) Panels must be installed at the same angle/pitch as the roof and be parallel/perpendicular to the gutter and/or ridge line/s;
05) Panels/Frames etc. may not have any stickers and/or advertising on them;
06) Panel frames may be matt graphite/dark grey, matt black, or natural anodised aluminium;
07) All surface-mounted pipes on walls etc. must comprise <or be concealed in> uPVC conduits/trunking, secured perfectly horizontally and/or vertically (not angled/sloping) and be professionally primed and painted to exactly match the colour of the surface behind it;
08) HOA must be contacted to sign off ‘final’ installation in accordance with above Rules or subsequent written agreement/s, failing which problems (or delays in transfer) could arise upon property sale one day, if not sooner, due to complaints.
13. What are the rules regarding borehole/wellpoint and/or water storage tank etc. installations, incl. pumps?
i) Installations, tanks, filters (incl. on downpipes), pumps, tanks etc. may not be visible from any road or POS (Private/Public Open Space), e.g. through a gate, palisade fence etc;
ii) All pipes and conduits to be secured perfectly horizontally and/or vertically, i.e. re-directed/angled downpipes (to facilitate runoff into tanks etc.) may not be visible above screens or boundary walls;
iii) Tank colour/s to compliment the house colour insofar as possible, i.e. only ‘earthy’ colours permitted;
iv) NO white allowed, eg. all exposed pipes etc. must be painted to exactly match the wall colour behind.
14. What colour may I paint my house, i.e. what are the permitted external wall colours on the Estate?
Bearing in mind that our Big Bay precinct requires ‘sandy/natural colours’ in matt finish, on the condition that colours used are consistent and complement one another, e.g. walls & plaster bands etc:
To get a list of allowed colours please contact the estate office to view the swatches of allowed colours.
PLEASE remember to provide a 1 x 1m paint sample panel of all proposed external colours for approval before commencement of final coat and give Markus a shout to sign off when dry.
15. Please explain the ‘verge deposit’ & monthly contractor levy?
To cover expenses in (amongst other things) the administration of construction processes, each site/property (undergoing any work in excess of 6 days in a 30 day period, by unrelated contractors/service providers even) will be charged a levy per month payable to the HOA. The levy must be paid in advance.
To cover unforeseen expenses (e.g. damages, unpaid fines etc) incurred by contractors etc. during the works, a Verge Deposit must also be paid on or before the 7th estate entry and/or day on site to ensure continued Estate access.
It is the Contractor’s responsibility to contact the Estate Office timeously to arrange HOA visits for Practical and <ultimately> Final Inspections (by for example comparison with HOA & CoCT approved drawings), because only once the HOA has issued a Completion Certificate will the monthly Contractor Levy cease, and the Verge Deposit be refunded.
16. What are the rules & requirements if I want to install cameras/CCTV on my property?
Provide the HOA with a Floor/Roof & Site Plan of your home and property, indicating (& numbering) the locations of the proposed cameras, and (with the aid of lines radiating out from each camera), indicate the far left and far right angle of each camera’s view.
1) Cameras to be discreet (e.g. bullet camera, with no ‘housing’) with no visible cabling, and the shortest possible runs of the smallest possible trunking/conduits;
2) Camera sample and colour to be approved by HOA prior to installation;
3) No logos/signage/advertising permitted anywhere;
4) Privacy Masking mandatory as follows, unless with prior written approval from current neighbour/resident (to be obtained again if residents change) AND BBREHOA:
i) Common boundary walls facing/separating neighbouring properties/homes: Nothing visible higher than/above the top of the wall/s;
ii) Internal/Estate road if property over the road has a permeable/see-through street boundary wall and/or gate/s: Nothing visible higher than/above the base of their boundary wall;
iii) Internal/Estate road if property over the road has a non-permeable/solid street boundary wall and/or gate/s: Nothing visible higher than/above the top of their boundary wall;
iv) Internal/Estate road if property over the road has a footpath, but doesn’t have a street boundary wall: Nothing visible higher than/above the ‘back’ kerb of the footpath;
v) Internal/Estate road if property over the road has no footpath, and no street boundary wall: Nothing visible higher than/above the road kerb in front of their property;
vi) External/Council road: Nothing visible higher than/above the top of street boundary walls over the road.
5) Resident will only retain video footage and/or images obtained through surveillance, monitoring or recording (of any property outside its own boundary lines) for a length of time deemed appropriate by the HOA appropriate for the purpose of monitoring, but not exceeding 60 calendar days (2 months), unless such recordings have historical value, or are required for a criminal investigation. Any questions regarding the retention of footage and/or images should be directed to the HOA’s POPI Information Officer;
6) ONLY a SAPS Case Number AND the HOA’s Board of Trustees AND/OR Information Officer may authorise the release of information and results obtained through surveillance monitoring or recording outside the boundary lines of one’s Erf/property;
7) Complete and sign our CCTV Application Form/Agreement found here: https://bbrehoa.co.za/residents/home-owners-documents/, requesting a site/home visit for BBREHOA TO SIGN OFF on compliance of your installation and camera views with the above requirements prior to ‘going live’, and permitting the HOA <representative> to take a picture/still of your CCTV monitor/screen as proof of approved views at the time of signature.
17. What is the cost and justification behind a windscreen/RFID access tag?
R250/Tag, via homeowner’s account, or EFT. Estate Office is cashless and doesn’t have a card payment facility.
New homeowners/Members get their 1st two tags for free, i.e. are only charged from their 3rd tag onwards.
Tenants are charged from their 1st tag because the homeowner will already have claimed their property’s free tags.
Fee contributes towards the ongoing service, maintenance & replacement costs on the system itself, to not only afford our residents this convenience of simply driving in and out, but also the safety & security of not having to roll down a window, or the frustration of a fingerprint not working 1st time, whilst a queue builds up behind one.
NB: RFID tags will only be issued to correspond with the number of confirmed off-street parking spots available ON one’s property at the time of application, e.g. 4 for a double garage and driveway etc. The HOA may need to do a site inspection to check <for example> that garaging isn’t used for storage.
Clear as mud?
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