Last year we warned you of a change in the process of obtaining a copy (what is known as a VA copy) of a title deed which has been misplaced. The new process was pended for some months but as of 1 January 2020 we now have to follow this process, which has the potential to delay your transfer.
When you sell a property, please check with the Seller if they have a bond registered. If they don't, please ask them if they have the original title deeds with them. If they have lost them, please immediately notify us so we can start this rather cumbersome process of obtaining a copy from the Deeds Office. The copy we have to lodge is not just the one we can get online, we have to make application and a certified copy is issued.
As you can see, this process can take up to a month to arrange so it is imperative to start the process when the transfer process begins, to avoid any delays. If you are aware that the Title Deeds have been lost, we suggest this is disclosed in the Sale Agreement, just in case this process does delay the transfer.
The cost of this process is between R3 500 and R4 300, with advertising costs.
Source: da Costa Inc.
https://dacostaattorneys.co.za/blog/replacing-lost-title-deeds/