Dear Welgevonden Estate Homeowners and Residents
Welcome to the October 2022 edition of the Welgevonden Estate newsletter. In this issue you can read about:
estate agencies that are accredited with the Welgevonden Home Owners’ Association;
the requirement to obtain WHOA consent when transferring a property;
progress made with the installation of the estate’s irrigation system;
a recommendation regarding leasing out of properties;
the Garden-of-the-Year 2022 competition; and
the date for the 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Accredited estate agencies
There are a number of established Stellenbosch-based estate agencies, together with their qualified estate agents, that have been are accredited by the WHOA. We encourage homeowners to approach these agencies when wanting to sell or lease your properties. Using these agencies offers peace of mind, knowing that the selling or leasing process will be in line with all Welgevonden Estate's requirements.
These agencies and their agents have quarterly meetings with estate management to ensure that they are up to date with the requirements of, and comply with, the relevant WHOA rules and Stellenbosch Municipality by-laws. They are committed to be a part of the success of Welgevonden Estate which, ultimately, translates into an improved return on investment for homeowners as they act in your best interest when representing you.
Please click here for their contact details: Estate Agencies | Welgevonden.
Transfer of property ownership
Whilst on the subject of Welgevonden Estate properties, homeowners should take note of the fact that a seller must first obtain WHOA consent to transfer a property before change of ownership can be effected. This is regulated by clause 74 of the WHOA Constitution.
To obtain such consent, the following should be in place – even before engaging with estate agents to start the process of selling a property:
The Welgevonden Estate administrative office must be in possession of the erf’s building plans, approved by the Stellenbosch Municipality.
The building(s) must be built according to the approved building plans.
The property, together with the garden and streetscape, must be maintained and in a good state of repair.
The seller must not be indebted to the WHOA in any way in respect of levies, contributions or other amounts.
Irrigation infrastructure
We are making good progress with the project to install the new irrigation infrastructure on Welgevonden Estate’s gardens and public open spaces. Liquid Rain – the contractor for the project – has completed work in the vicinity of the R304 entrance, and will be attending to the main green belt as the next phase of the project. Irrigation water will be drawn from the borehole which was sunk earlier this year near the R304 entrance.
Leasing of properties
Occupation of properties on Welgevonden Estate is bound by the Stellenbosch Municipality Zoning Scheme By-Law 2019. This regulation states that Welgevonden Estate properties may only be occupied by single families, or two individual independent persons. An application for three independent tenants per property may be considered and recommended by the WHOA if found in order, but still needs to be approved by the Stellenbosch Municipality. (Click here to read more.)
We therefore strongly recommend that homeowners who lease out their properties, do so only to single families, or two independent persons. Although leasing to three independent tenants is allowed, the rather long process to obtain approval may affect the occupation date.
Garden-of-the-Year Competition 2022
We remind residents of this year’s Welgevonden Estate Garden-of-the-Year Competition which will again be sponsored by Leapfrog Properties Stellenbosch.
This competition aims to acknowledge and reward Welgevonden Estate residents who make a difference in our neighbourhood by taking pride in their gardens.
Entries are open from Monday 12 September until Friday 21 October 2022.
Judging takes place from 24-27 October.
Prize winners will be announced on 31 October 2022.
Four prizes are at stake – Garden-of-the-Year 2022, Runner-up Garden-of-the-Year 2022, Most water-wise indigenous garden, and Best newly-established garden!
Entry forms are available from the estate’s administrative office, or can be downloaded here.
AGM 2022
The 2022 annual general meeting will take place on 24 November 2022 at 18:00 in the Doornbosch Hall, R44, Stellenbosch. More information will be made available in due course.
Best regards
Gawie Marx
Estate Manager
4 October 2022
