Neighbourhood 2 JUNE 2019
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
Never a dull moment The established suburbs of Laudium and Christoburg are the epitome of diversity and colourful community living, page 2
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SUBURB FOCUS: LAUDIUM & CHRISTOBURG
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PROPERTY NEWS
2 JUNE 2019
Neighbourhood
Suburb focus
Laudium & Christoburg Together Laudium and Christoburg boast a lovely, diversified and colourful community attracting residents from all cultures, religions and traditions WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE
*Map not to scale
IMAGES: RENE WALKER & GOOGLE MAPS
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wo well-established neighbouring suburbs, Laudium and Christoburg are located on the less-populated western boundary of the Centurion region. Nestling alongside the R55 (Quagga Road), the suburbs are centrally situated to Pretoria’s inner city as well as the greater Centurion region. Both the N14-Krugersdorp and N4-Rustenburg highways are within quick access, while the M26, which connects these suburbs via the R551 to the northwestern parts of Joburg, is just minutes away from Laudium. Both Lanseria International Airport and Wonderboom Airport are less than 40 km away. The neighbourhoods are characterised by the presence of several beautiful mosques, places of worship and other charming buildings of varying architectural styles and designs. The streets are wide and quiet with many tall trees, wooded gardens and parks. Laudium has its own police station, community health care centre and library. The area is abundantly blessed with schools and educational institutes. The several family-owned businesses add an intimate, personal touch to the neighbourhood. Many of the colourful homes have also been converted into guesthouses, work-from-home
businesses and office premises. With the neighbouring suburbs of Centurion only a stone’s throw away, residents have effortless access to all kinds of health and medical facilities as well as Netcare’s flagship Unitas Hospital. Both these suburbs are friendly neighbourhoods to live in and offer a tranquil lifestyle in a serene environment close to the city.
Property The suburb of Laudium comprises several extensions meeting the different residential needs of its diverse population. The suburb extends southwest to Christoburg, which is often regarded as a residential extension of Laudium. On the eastern side of the R55 the smallish neighbourhood of Claudius also forms part of Laudium making the real estate market in the joint area even more diverse. Apart from a few blocks of flats, there are not many high-rise buildings in Laudium. Residential properties in this area are mostly freestanding homes with large erven. One can enter the market here for around R550,000+ for a one-bedroom flat. There’s a small number of houses in the market for under R1m. Both these options offer good opportunities for investors. On average a neat three-bedroom family home or large apartment will fall in the popular price range of R1m to R1,5m. There are many beautiful modern properties with lots of space and convenient extras to accommodate extended families in the price range above R1,5m. Luxury properties in the sought-after part can reach an asking price of between R5m and R8m. Gardens are generally large and well-maintained.
Schools To cater to the individuality of its residents, Laudium boasts an astonishing amount of public and private schools. Christoburg and neighbouring Erasmia also have several schools and are just as easily accessible. Many of the public schools are also being PUBLISHED BY TIMES MEDIA PROPERTY PUBLISHING 1st Floor, Block H, Sable Square cnr Bosmansdam and Ratanga roads Milnerton, Cape Town
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attended by learners from nearby townships. Public primary schools include Andrew Anthony, Hillside, Jacaranda, Laudium Heights and Laudium primary schools. Government high schools include Himalaya Secondary School and Laudium Secondary School, while Sunrise School makes provision for children with special educational needs. Laudium is also home to the government-run Rosina Sedibane Sports School. Private schools in Laudium and its neighbours include top schools like Amity International School, Erasmia (previously Pretoria Hindu School), Pretoria Muslim Trust Sunni School, Central Islamic School, Pretoria Muslim School, Al Ghazali College, Erasmia, and Al-Asr Educational Institute, Claudius. There is also an Islamic educational institute which specialises in teaching Islamic Sciences called the Sunni Darul Uloom Pretoria.
Explore Residents are well-catered to in their own neighbourhood with recreational facilities like the Laudium Sports Stadium, Laudium Cricket Oval, a bowling club, tennis courts, community swimming pool, and a library. Also close by is Zwartkops Raceway which hosts great motoring sports and biking events throughout the year. Both Centurion Mall and Mall@ Reds have movie theatres and a multitude of shops and eateries. The greater Centurion area is known for its many clubs, kids’ entertainment venues, markets, places of interest and an array of other leisurely events and venues to take part in or visit. Laudium and Christoburg boast a pleasant location on the western outer edge of the city close to the picturesque Hennops River Valley which makes for beautiful scenic drives. This area is home to many health and wellness spas as well as lodges and hotels offering a serene break-away, or a divine meal, in the countryside. Hennops MTB presents a good variety of adventure activities like mountain biking, hiking and 4x4/off-road trails.
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2 JUNE 2019
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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SHOP EAT • Eldo Square: convenience and lots of food • HS Ebrahim Centre: local shopping convenience • Laudium Plaza: friendly neighbourhood centre • Mall@Reds: comprehensive shopping centre in nearby Rooihuiskraal North • Valhalla Shopping Centre: easily accessible and not too busy
• Al-Amin Indian Restaurant: fine Indian cuisine, sit down or take away • Bismillah Restaurant: experience great South Asian cuisine • Mochacos: counter-serve Mexican chain, dishing up flame-grilled chicken • Thali’s Restaurant: family-friendly Indian restaurant • Zubi’s Braai Corner: eat like a giant
MEDICAL FACILITIES NEARBY • Laudium Clinic • Laudium Community Health Centre • Medicross Medical Centre, Pretoria West • Netcare Unitas Hospital • Pretoria West Hospital
BAKERS OVEN
You’ll pay
R15,667 per month
R1,596m
For a typical property (four-bedroom house)
R1,795m In a complex
over a period of 20 years at 10.25% prime
R756,500 For an apartment
R1,6m For a house
For a typical property (three-bedroom house)
9%
R5,500 In a complex
87%
COMPLEX
R5,800 R8,000 For a house
11%
42%
47%
For an apartment HOUSE
median asking price
Median asking price
R8,000
Based on
R1,596m
4%
APARTMENT
For a typical property in this area
Median asking price
APARTMENT
Monthly bond repayments
For rent
HOUSE
For sale
COMPLEX
BAJATWALA FRUITERERS
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PROPERTY NEWS
2 JUNE 2019
Neighbourhood
Short and sweet
South Africa is in the process of regulating the short-term rental sector of the hospitality industry in response to cries by the so-called regulated hotels and B&Bs, to ‘level the playing fields’ WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER
IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK
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ecently, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, chief executive, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, said that Airbnb had created “unfair competition”, because informal accommodation providers “were not abiding by any laws or regulations”. Government recently published the Tourism Amendment Bill, which stipulates that short-term home rentals will fall under the Tourism Act. Bottom line, the Department of Tourism has bowed to pressure from the regulated hospitality industry to regulate Airbnb, and the minister will lay down thresholds for Airbnb in South Africa – it may include limits on the number of nights guests are allowed to stay, maximum annual income allowable before an Airbnb establishment had to convert to a business, whether it was compulsory to be in the house during rentals, minimum security features, or determining zones where Airbnbs are allowed. Another issue (with local government) was how to differentiate between residential municipal property rates and business rates. Sars, too, would have to comment on the tax implications of the bill with regard to additional private income earned from Airbnb activities. Seen as disruptors – much like Uber – there’s strong debate as to why this highly successful sector should be
regulated to appease a sector which is taking strain because of Airbnb. The impressive income figures from Airbnb – the dollars generated directly, the spin-off dollars in added tourism, and the related employment figures, plus the fact that these are small businesses (precisely what SA needs), means regulations are not welcomed by the sector.
What’s Airbnb’s legal standpoint?
Airbnb.com’s terms of service include a provision that requires hosts to warrant that a listing they post for, or a guest’s stay at, an accommodation “will comply with all applicable laws (such as zoning laws), tax requirements, and other rules and regulations (including having all required permits, licences and registrations); and will not breach any agreements you have entered into with any third parties, such as a homeowners’ association, condominium, or other agreements”.
South Africa’s municipal bylaws
There is no law prohibiting short-term rentals in general, but each municipality has the power to create and enforce bylaws and zoning regulations around short-term rentals. Cape Town, for example, has developed its own set. You, as a property owner, need to check whether local bylaws exist around
short-term rentals, and if so, what’s required of you to comply with them. Question is, what constitutes a business? As more and more one- or two-person businesses save business rentals and work quietly from home, it’s a blurry line, largely ignored. Subscribing to online platforms such as Airbnb is becoming increasingly popular, as South Africans feel the pinch of the constrained economy, and supplement their funds.
Renting a property
If you rent a property, check whether your lease allows for subletting, and/or, speak to your landlord. If you don’t, when you’re discovered to have transgressed, you – and your tenant – can be evicted.
Living in a complex or gated estate
“Most sectional title body corporates and homeowners’ associations have rules about rentals,” says Maria Davey, Meumann White Attorneys, “so familiarise yourself with the rules of the scheme – or constitution of the association – as many prohibit short-term rentals and require the trustees or directors to consent to leases. Neither the Sectional Titles Act nor the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act (STSMA) address short-term letting and it is, therefore, permitted, but they do allow the trustees – as resolved by the members of the
body corporate – to make or amend conduct rules, which could include a restriction or prohibition on shortterm renting or the listing of units on a platform such as Airbnb if such a prohibition is already not in place.” Davey adds, “It’s imperative that you, the owner, include a copy of the conduct rules along with any other document the tenant is required to sign. You will after all be liable to the body corporate or homeowners’ association for your tenant’s misdemeanours. Similarly, a tenant who sublets is liable to the owner, so it’s imperative that the tenant makes all rules applicable to his subtenant.”
2 JUNE 2019
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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Steyn City offers more options for residents S
teyn City has expanded its apartment-living offering with the launch of a new development, 104 on Creek. The two- and three-bedroomed homes come standard with double-glazed windows, air conditioning, Siemens appliances, and superior fittings. Other amenities include play areas for kids, skate parks, outdoor gyms and yoga stations, cycling and running tracks, a promenade for jogs, a well-equipped gym at The Club, an indoor aquatic centre, an equestrian centre, and a Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf course. Dining options include XIX (Nineteen) restaurant and the more casual deli. Apartments are priced from R2,6m and measure 96m² up to 133m². All have undercover parking.
Rental market shows interest in Woodstock Quarter
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oodstock Quarter has received healthy tenant interest from Capetonians since the Swish Property Group development launched in March. Construction of this building in the redevelopment zone of Sir Lowry Road in Woodstock was completed earlier this year. It has nine storeys and 386 residential units. Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments are available in various design options. Rentals range from R7,800 per month for a studio to R15,000 for a two-bedroom unit. Each apartment has an oven and hob as well as DStv and data connectivity. Communal facilities include a fitness centre, a rooftop bar with 360º views, a lounge, a deck and three swimming pools. “We paid a lot of attention to the design element,” says Swish Property Group sales and marketing representative Craig Getz. “The heritage-inspired façade and classy finishes such as stone countertops and USB ports throughout add that little extra. The market is noticing.” The ground floor and mezzanine retail area will include restaurants, bars and convenience stores.
Activity in SA’s housing market on the up A
s anticipated, the MPC kept the repo rate steady, taking a conservative approach against the backdrop of rising fuel prices and with a wary eye on CPI inflation, says Dr Andrew Golding, CEO, Pam Golding Property Group.
“However, a reduction in the repo rate, on the back of the marketfriendly election outcome, would have created stimulus for the economy and property market, as well as a confidence boost for consumers in general, especially homeowners and buyers with outstanding mortgages and hefty bond repayments. “Having said that, and based on the Pam Golding Residential Property Index April statistics, it’s encouraging to see that the national housing market already appears to be starting to see
Kempton Park gets a boost C
onstruction is underway for an additional 246-room hotel at Destiny Hotel and Convention Centre in Kempton Park. The project, the brainchild of local developer Zamani Letjane, is in the second phase of construction and scheduled to open in November this year. The seven-storey hotel will complete the offering at the current location, already home to a 40-room boutique hotel and an impressive convention centre. In addition to the accommodation offering, the hotel will host a 220-seater restaurant, meeting rooms, and a rooftop bar overlooking the OR Tambo airport area, Pretoria and Joburg. According to Letjane, the need for a substantial accommodation provider in the area
is overdue. “Apart from the strategic proximity of the hotel to the airport district, our convention centre is able to accommodate as many as 2,800 delegates and in the past we have had to turn guests away,” he said. The City of Ekurhuleni has earmarked the East Rand areas of Kempton Park, Bredell and Bapsfontein for extensive redevelopment as part of the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis project. Based on the global concept of a city built around an airport, the project is aimed at creating rapid growth and redevelopment of its infrastructure and communities around the OR Tambo International district and is set to change the economic landscape of Gauteng.
promising signs which augur well for an uptick in activity now that the dust has settled on the election.”
Golding says good news is that the slowdown in national house prices appears to be bottoming out, with national house price inflation steady at 3,7% in both March and April. “We believe the stabilisation and potential for a turnaround in the national market is being driven by a combination of a gradual strengthening in Gauteng and a tentative rebound in the Western Cape region, which had experienced a price correction. Despite this, the Western Cape remains the top-performing major region overall, with the strongest regional price growth (6,75%) across all price bands. Interestingly, the East Rand continues to enjoy a modest rebound and is currently the top-performing Gauteng market.”
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