Assessor Terms & Conditions

These Assessor Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your participation in the Assessor Programme operated by Short-Term Rental Compliance Advisory Services (Pty) Ltd, a private company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa under registration number [STRCAS_REG_TBC], with its domicilium citandi et executandi at Impala House, 27 Castle Street, Cape Town, 8001 (“STRCAS”).

By enrolling in the Programme, paying the Training Fee, or accepting your first Assessment referral, you (“Assessor”, “you”) agree to be bound by these Terms and by the STRLCS Privacy Policy (which STRCAS adopts for the Programme pending publication of its own).

1. Definitions

• “Programme” means the STRCAS Assessor Programme.
• “PPRA” means the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority established under the Property Practitioners Act, 2019.
• “PPRA Licence” means your current, valid registration as a Property Practitioner with the PPRA, together with a current Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC).
• “Training Fee” means the once-off, non-refundable fee (subject to section 5) payable for access to the STRCAS Assessor training course and certification.
• “Certification” means the annual certification issued by STRCAS to Assessors who have successfully completed the training and passed the required competency assessment.
• “Assessment” means a physical inspection of a STRLCS client property, carried out by you on behalf of STRCAS using the STRCAS methodology, checklists, and reporting template.
• “Assessment Fee” means the fee charged to the client property owner for each Assessment; your share is set out in Schedule 1.
• “Auditor” means a STRCAS-certified Auditor, contracted under the separate Auditor Terms & Conditions, who reviews and quality-audits Assessor reports.

2. The Programme

Under the Programme, STRCAS trains, certifies, and contracts PPRA-licensed property practitioners to conduct compliance Assessments of short-term rental properties. Certified Assessors receive Assessment referrals from STRCAS (via STRLCS's client-owner base) and earn the Assessor share of each Assessment Fee.

3. Eligibility & PPRA licence — mandatory

To apply for and hold Certification you must, at all times:

• Hold a current and valid PPRA Licence as a Property Practitioner;
• Hold a current and valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC);
• Not be subject to any current disqualification, suspension, or investigation by the PPRA;
• Not be an unrehabilitated insolvent, subject to a personal debt review order, or convicted of an offence involving fraud, dishonesty, or violence against persons in the preceding 10 years.

At intake you must supply your PPRA registration number, PPRA licence start date, PPRA licence end date, FFC number, and any other verification information STRCAS reasonably requires. STRCAS will verify these details against the PPRA register (whether through the PPRA's public register, an automated integration, or a manual query). Providing false or materially misleading information about your PPRA status is a material breach of these Terms, results in immediate termination without refund, and may be reported to the PPRA.

Licence expiry or lapse. Your Certification is contingent on your PPRA Licence and FFC remaining current and valid. If either lapses, expires, is suspended, or is revoked, your Certification is automatically suspended without further notice, and you will be removed from the Assessment referral queue until you provide evidence of reinstatement. You must notify STRCAS in writing (email to legal@strlcs.co.za) within 24 hours of any change to your PPRA status.

4. Assessment is opinion, not certification of legal compliance

5. Training & certification

• The Training Fee is payable in full before course access is granted.
• The Training Fee is non-refundable once course access has been granted, save where required by the Consumer Protection Act, 2008.
• Certification is issued only to Assessors who successfully complete the training and pass STRCAS's competency assessment.
• Certification is valid for twelve (12) months from date of issue. Annual re-certification is required and includes a shortened refresher module, an updated competency assessment, and payment of the re-certification fee.
• Failure to complete re-certification within the required window results in automatic suspension from the Assessment referral queue until re-certification is achieved.
• Sustained low ratings (see section 8) may require additional training, or in serious cases, revocation of Certification.

6. Fees & commission

• All amounts are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and are inclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.
• The Training Fee and the applicable Assessor share of the Assessment Fee are set out in Schedule 1.
• The Assessment Fee is charged by STRLCS to the client property owner in the ordinary course. Your share of each completed Assessment (after the Auditor's QA sign-off, section 8) is paid to you within 30 days of the client's payment to STRLCS clearing.
• STRCAS may change Programme fees and Assessor shares on 60 days' written notice; changes do not affect Assessments already assigned to you.
• Any amount due to STRCAS from you and not paid by its due date bears interest at 2% per month from the due date.

7. Standard of care

You will:

• Perform each Assessment with the professional skill, care, and diligence expected of a PPRA-licensed, STRCAS-certified Assessor;
• Follow the current STRCAS methodology, checklists, and reporting template without material deviation;
• Attend booked Assessments on time, notify the client and STRCAS of any delay at the earliest opportunity, and submit the completed report within the timeframe stated in the Assessment brief;
• Not accept any tip, gift, gratuity, or inducement from a client owner or vendor that could compromise the independence of your Assessment; report any such offer to STRCAS within 24 hours;
• Not falsify, exaggerate, or omit findings, and not sign off on a property that does not meet the STRCAS standard.

8. Ratings & priority queue

The order in which certified Assessors receive Assessment referrals in each city is determined by STRCAS's rating system. Ratings aggregate:

• Post-Assessment ratings by the property owner (professionalism, communication, on-time arrival, clarity of findings);
• The Auditor's quality score on the completed Assessment report (accuracy, completeness, correctness against methodology);
• Submission speed (from site visit to fully submitted report);
• Complaint history and remedial responsiveness.

Sustained low ratings result in required additional training or, in serious cases, revocation of Certification. STRCAS's decisions on ranking, retraining, and revocation are final, subject to your right to make representations to STRCAS's rating panel before any adverse decision becomes effective (except where immediate action is required in the public interest).

9. Non-circumvention & non-solicitation

For a period of three (3) years from the date on which your Certification ends, you will not, directly or indirectly:

• Sell compliance assessments to any STRLCS client property owner introduced to you through the Programme, other than through STRCAS;
• Solicit any client, referral source, employee, contractor, or other Assessor or Auditor of STRCAS or STRLCS for competing services;
• Use STRCAS's or STRLCS's methodologies, checklists, templates, brand marks, or client lists outside the Programme.

The burden of proving that any engagement with a STRLCS-introduced client did not arise from the Programme rests on you.

10. Confidentiality

All information you receive through the Programme — including client owner details, property information, STRCAS methodology and templates, pricing, and rating data — is confidential and remains the property of STRCAS (or, as applicable, STRLCS). You will use it solely for the purpose of performing Assessments, will not disclose it to third parties, and will return or destroy it on termination.

11. Insurance

You will hold and maintain, at your own cost, professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance on the minimum terms set out in Schedule 1 throughout your participation in the Programme. Certificates of insurance must be produced to STRCAS on request. Lapse or cancellation of required insurance results in automatic suspension from the referral queue until reinstated.

12. Independent contractor status

You are an independent contractor of STRCAS engaged for the specific task of each Assessment. STRCAS remains the author and issuer of the Assessment report on which the STRCAS methodology is applied. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, franchise, or agency relationship. You are solely responsible for your own tax, VAT, PAYE, employee obligations, and business overheads.

13. Intellectual property

STRCAS retains ownership of the training course, all training and assessment methodology, all checklists and templates, the STRCAS Assessor Badge, and all brand marks. Your certified status entitles you to a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the STRCAS Assessor Badge in your marketing while Certified and in good standing, subject to STRCAS's brand guidelines. Use must not (a) imply that STRCAS or STRLCS employs you, (b) extend to cities in which you are not currently listed, or (c) continue after your Certification ends.

14. POPIA & data

You will handle all personal information you access through the Programme in accordance with the STRLCS Privacy Policy (as adopted by STRCAS for the Programme) and the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013. Client owner data may be accessed only through the STRCAS or STRLCS Assessor portal and only for the purpose of the assigned Assessment. Under no circumstances may you retain, copy, or export client owner data outside the portal beyond what is strictly required for the Assessment file.

15. Termination

• Either party may terminate your participation on 30 days' written notice.
• STRCAS may terminate immediately for a material breach not remedied within 14 days of written notice, for insolvency, dishonesty, fraud, loss of PPRA Licence or FFC, sustained low ratings, or loss of required insurance.
• On termination: (a) your Certification ends and your right to use the STRCAS Assessor Badge ends immediately; (b) sections 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, and this section continue in force for their stated periods; (c) any Training Fee paid remains non-refundable; (d) any earned Assessor share for Assessments completed but not yet paid will be paid in the ordinary course.

16. Limitation of liability & indemnity

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

• STRCAS's total aggregate liability to you under or in connection with these Terms is limited to the total fees you have paid to STRCAS in the three (3) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
• STRCAS is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of profits or reputation.

You indemnify STRCAS (and, where applicable, STRLCS as agent) and hold them harmless against any claim, cost, or liability arising from your negligent, dishonest, or unlawful performance of any Assessment, or any breach by you of these Terms, applicable law, or a client's rights.

Nothing limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be limited under South African law.

17. Notices & electronic communications

You consent to electronic communication. Any notice, agreement, disclosure, or other communication sent to you by email to the address you have provided satisfies any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. Notices to STRCAS (or STRLCS as agent) must be sent to legal@strlcs.co.za or to the domicilium at Impala House, 27 Castle Street, Cape Town, 8001.

18. Dispute resolution

The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute by direct discussion within 30 days. Any dispute not so resolved will be finally determined by arbitration under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), conducted by a single arbitrator in Cape Town, South Africa, in English. The arbitrator must have at least ten (10) years' experience in Cape Town commercial law. The arbitration award is final and binding. Nothing in this section prevents either party from applying to a court for urgent interim or protective relief.

19. General

• Whole agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any Schedule, form the whole agreement.
• Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the offending provision is severed and the remaining provisions continue in full force.
• Amendments. STRCAS may amend these Terms on 30 days' notice by email and by publishing amended Terms on our website.
• Assignment. STRCAS may assign these Terms to any affiliated or successor entity. You may not assign without STRCAS's consent.
• Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• CPA. Nothing limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008.
• Costs. The unsuccessful party in any dispute is liable for the successful party's legal costs on an attorney-and-own-client scale.

Schedule 1 — Current fee schedule (indicative)

Figures below are current placeholders and will be reviewed before the Programme opens to public applications.