Auditor Terms & Conditions

These Auditor Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your participation in the Auditor 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 Audit assignment, you (“Auditor”, “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 Auditor Programme.
• “Assessor” means a STRCAS-certified Assessor, contracted under the Assessor Terms & Conditions, whose reports you are responsible for auditing.
• “Assessment” means a physical inspection of a client property carried out by an Assessor using the STRCAS methodology.
• “Audit” means a quality-assurance review of an Assessment report against the STRCAS methodology, together with any file-based, remote-verification, or sampled site-visit check-work.
• “Sample Site Audit” means a physical revisit to an audited property, conducted at random or in response to a red flag, to verify the Assessor's findings against site conditions.
• “PPRA” means the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority.
• “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 6) payable for access to the STRCAS Auditor training course and certification.
• “Certification” means the annual Auditor certification issued by STRCAS.
• “Audit Fee” means the fee STRCAS bills for each Audit; your share is set out in Schedule 1.

2. The Programme

Under the Programme, STRCAS trains, certifies, and contracts senior PPRA-licensed property practitioners to serve as Auditors of Assessment reports produced by STRCAS Assessors. Audits ensure that:

• Each Assessment report is complete, methodologically correct, and defensible;
• The STRCAS Assessor Programme maintains consistent quality across cities and cohorts;
• Occurrences of substandard, biased, or fraudulent Assessment work are detected and remedied.

3. Eligibility, PPRA licence & seniority — mandatory

To apply for and hold Auditor 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;
• Have completed either (a) the STRCAS Assessor training and 12 months' active Assessor experience within the STRCAS Programme, or (b) an equivalent qualification and demonstrated experience determined by STRCAS in its discretion.

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. Providing false or materially misleading information about your PPRA status is a material breach, 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 Audit assignment 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. Independence & separation from Assessors

You will not, in any 12-month period, act as both the Assessor and the Auditor on the same property. STRCAS's assignment engine will not assign to you an Audit of any Assessment you personally conducted. You will not discuss ratings, findings, or ranking with the Assessors whose work you audit, other than through STRCAS's official rating panel processes. Where you have a personal or financial relationship with an Assessor whose report is assigned to you for audit, you must decline the assignment and disclose the relationship to STRCAS.

5. Audit is opinion, not certification of legal compliance

6. Training & certification

• The Auditor 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 Auditors who complete the training and pass STRCAS's competency assessment.
• Certification is valid for twelve (12) months. Annual re-certification is required and includes 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 Audit assignment queue.

7. Fees & commission

• All amounts are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and inclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.
• The Training Fee and the Auditor share of each Audit Fee are set out in Schedule 1.
• Audit Fees form part of the overall STRCAS charge to the client. Your share of each completed Audit is paid within 30 days of the client's payment to STRLCS clearing.
• STRCAS may change Programme fees on 60 days' written notice; changes do not affect Audits already assigned to you.

8. Standard of care

You will:

• Perform each Audit with the professional skill, care, and diligence expected of a PPRA-licensed, STRCAS-certified senior practitioner;
• Follow the current STRCAS Audit methodology and checklist without material deviation;
• Complete each Audit within the timeframe stated in the Audit brief and submit a fully reasoned rating for the Assessment and Assessor concerned;
• Conduct Sample Site Audits at the frequency and in the manner directed by STRCAS;
• Not accept any tip, gift, gratuity, or inducement from a client owner, vendor, Assessor, or any other party that could compromise your independence; report any such offer to STRCAS within 24 hours;
• Report to STRCAS immediately any suspicion of fraud, misrepresentation, or serious misconduct arising in the course of an Audit.

9. Ratings & priority queue

The order in which certified Auditors receive Audit assignments in each city is determined by STRCAS's rating system. Ratings aggregate:

• STRCAS's internal quality-control review of your Audit output (accuracy, clarity, methodology compliance);
• Turnaround speed (from assignment to completed Audit);
• Rate of remedial escalations (Audits that survive appeal by an Assessor, without incorrect calls being overturned);
• Sample Site Audit accuracy (correlation between your written Audit conclusions and site conditions);
• 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).

10. 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:

• Establish or participate in a competing Assessment / Audit programme targeting STRLCS's client-owner base;
• Solicit any client, referral source, employee, contractor, Assessor, or other 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 did not arise from your Programme access rests on you.

11. Confidentiality

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

12. 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 assignment queue until reinstated.

13. Independent contractor status

You are an independent contractor of STRCAS engaged for the specific task of each Audit. STRCAS remains the author and issuer of the Audit report. 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.

14. Intellectual property

STRCAS retains ownership of the training course, all training and Audit methodology, all checklists and templates, the STRCAS Auditor Badge, and all brand marks. Your certified status entitles you to a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the STRCAS Auditor Badge in your marketing while Certified and in good standing, subject to STRCAS's brand guidelines.

15. 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 and Assessor data may be accessed only through the STRCAS or STRLCS portal and only for the purpose of the assigned Audit. Under no circumstances may you retain, copy, or export data outside the portal beyond what is strictly required for the Audit file.

16. 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 Auditor Badge ends immediately; (b) sections 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, and this section continue in force for their stated periods; (c) any Training Fee paid remains non-refundable; (d) any earned Auditor share for Audits completed but not yet paid will be paid in the ordinary course.

17. 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 Audit, or any breach by you of these Terms, applicable law, or a party's rights.

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

18. Notices & electronic communications

You consent to electronic communication. Any notice 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.

19. 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 prevents either party from applying to a court for urgent interim or protective relief.

20. 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.