Owner Terms & Conditions

These Owner Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your engagement with Short-Term Rental Licensing Compliance Services (Pty) Ltd, a private company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa under registration number 2026/533467/07, with its domicilium citandi et executandi at Impala House, 27 Castle Street, Cape Town, 8001 (“STRLCS”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

By purchasing a STRLCS service tier, submitting a compliance application through us, or otherwise engaging our services, you (“Owner”, “you”) agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy.

1. Definitions

• “Application” means any short-term rental licensing, permit, zoning, business licence, or related compliance application STRLCS submits or coordinates on your behalf.
• “Municipal Authority” means the City of Cape Town or any other South African municipality, provincial authority, or national regulator whose approval is required for your Application.
• “Preferred Vendor” means an accredited contractor, supplier, or service provider approved and listed by STRLCS in its Preferred Vendor Programme.
• “Service Fee” means the amount you pay STRLCS for the service tier you have chosen, as set out in Schedule 1.
• “Restart Fee” means the fee STRLCS charges to resubmit an Application after a refusal, delay, or required resubmission, as set out in Schedule 1.
• “STRLCS Compliance Verified” means the compliance status granted by STRLCS to a property that has passed all applicable regulatory checks under STRLCS's methodology.

2. Nature of the service — important, please read

You own the property. We coordinate the Application. STRLCS's role is to organise, prepare, submit, and track your compliance Application through the relevant Municipal Authority and to coordinate the Preferred Vendors whose certificates and reports are needed to support it.

Reasons an Application may be refused, delayed, or returned for resubmission that are outside STRLCS's control include, but are not limited to:

• the physical condition of the property not meeting municipal standards
• the accuracy of the representations you make about the property
• the authenticity or currency of certificates you or your contractors provide
• zoning, town planning, or building-line issues STRLCS could not reasonably have known about at the time of submission
• changes in municipal policy, fee schedules, or processing timeframes
• disputes raised by neighbours, body corporates, or other third parties

STRLCS will use reasonable skill and care but does not accept responsibility for outcomes attributable to these matters. Where any such matter arises, section 5 (Restart Fee) applies.

3. Your obligations

You warrant that, throughout the engagement, you will:

• Provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information about yourself, any co-owners, and the property.
• Provide us with genuine, current certificates and supporting documents. Where you supply a certificate produced by a third party, you warrant it is authentic and current to the best of your knowledge.
• Disclose any prior violations, complaints, refusals, warnings, or compliance notices affecting the property.
• Grant STRLCS and its Preferred Vendors reasonable access to the property to complete inspections, install equipment, and carry out compliance work.
• Pay all Service Fees, Restart Fees, third-party fees, and municipal charges on time.
• Notify STRLCS promptly of any material change to the property, its ownership, its use, or its configuration.

Providing false or materially incomplete information is a breach of these Terms and entitles STRLCS to terminate immediately, retain all Service Fees paid to date, and recover damages.

4. Fees & payment

• All amounts are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and are inclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.
• Service Fees for the tier you have chosen are set out in Schedule 1 below and are payable in full before work commences, unless a written payment plan has been agreed in advance.
• STRLCS accepts EFT, card payments, and instalment providers (including PayJustNow and Payflex) as offered at checkout.
• Third-party costs — including but not limited to municipal application fees, submission fees, supplier invoices, equipment costs, and inspection fees — are additional to the Service Fee and remain your responsibility.
• Any Service Fee not paid by its due date bears interest at 2% per month from the date it becomes due. STRLCS may suspend work on your Application if any invoice remains unpaid for more than 14 days.
• STRLCS may change Service Fees on 60 days' written notice; changes do not apply to work already commenced under a paid tier.

5. Failed applications & Restart Fee

Where an Application is refused, delayed beyond ordinary processing times, or returned by the Municipal Authority for resubmission:

• Where the reason is not solely attributable to STRLCS's negligence — including any of the matters listed in section 2 — all Service Fees paid remain earned and non-refundable. A Restart Fee (set out in Schedule 1) applies to the resubmission, and any additional third-party costs are your responsibility.
• Where the reason is solely attributable to STRLCS's negligence — for example, an incorrect submission on our part or a failure to include a document you had timeously provided — STRLCS will bear the cost of the resubmission at no charge to you, and will not levy a Restart Fee.

Whether a failure is solely attributable to STRLCS's negligence is a factual question to be determined by reference to the Application file, correspondence, and Municipal Authority feedback. STRLCS's determination made in good faith and supported by the file is binding, subject to your right to dispute under section 15.

6. Preferred Vendor referrals

STRLCS may refer you to one or more Preferred Vendors to complete work required for your Application (fire safety installation, electrical certification of compliance, gas installation, insurance, POPIA advisory, etc.). You are free to use vendors of your own choosing instead.

Vendors are independent contractors, not STRLCS employees or agents. Each Preferred Vendor operates its own business, holds its own accreditations and insurances, and is solely responsible for the work it performs. While STRLCS verifies each Preferred Vendor's credentials at intake and re-verifies them annually, STRLCS does not warrant the quality, timeliness, or outcome of any work performed by a Preferred Vendor. Disputes about a Preferred Vendor's work must be raised with that Vendor directly. Where necessary, you may also escalate the dispute to STRLCS's rating panel.

7. Reservation Hub Services & the Hosting Advantage community

Where you have opted in on our forms:

• STRLCS may share your contact details with Reservation Hub Services (Pty) Ltd (“Reservation Hub Services”), an affiliated company.
• You will receive an invitation to join the private Hosting Advantage community on Facebook.
• You agree to receive marketing communications and messages from Reservation Hub Services regarding short-term rental industry updates, offers, events, and services relevant to your role as a property owner.
• You may withdraw this consent at any time by emailing privacy@strlcs.co.za. Withdrawal does not affect the compliance services STRLCS provides to you.

8. Communications & approvals

STRLCS will draft all substantive communications to Municipal Authorities, Preferred Vendors, and third parties on your behalf and, where these communications commit you or create a material record, obtain your written confirmation before sending. Verbal instructions you give us must be confirmed in writing (email or WhatsApp) within 24 hours.

Where you do not respond to a request for confirmation or instruction within 48 hours, STRLCS may proceed on the basis of the last-confirmed instruction. All communications, decisions, and approvals are recorded in writing (email, WhatsApp, screenshot). These records constitute proof of instructions given and services rendered.

9. Term & termination

• These Terms take effect on the earlier of your payment of a Service Fee or your written acceptance and continue until the Application is finalised or one party terminates in accordance with this section.
• Either party may terminate on 30 days' written notice, except that STRLCS may terminate immediately for a material breach that is not remedied within 14 days of written notice, or for insolvency, dishonesty, or fraud.
• On termination, STRLCS's obligation to continue work ceases. Fees paid for work already commenced are earned and non-refundable. STRLCS will provide you with copies of the Application file within 14 days on request, subject to payment of any outstanding invoices.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

• STRLCS's total aggregate liability to you under or in connection with these Terms is limited to the total Service Fees you have paid to STRLCS in the three (3) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
• STRLCS is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, loss of rental income, loss of licence approval, loss of business opportunity, or loss of reputation, however arising.
• STRLCS is not liable for the acts, omissions, or work quality of Preferred Vendors or any other independent contractor engaged in connection with your Application. Preferred Vendors are independent contractors, not STRLCS's employees or agents.
• STRLCS is not liable for outcomes attributable to any of the matters listed in section 2.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes STRLCS's liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under South African law.

11. Indemnity

You indemnify STRLCS and hold it harmless against any claim, cost, or liability arising from:

• Any inaccuracy, incompleteness, or misrepresentation in the information or documents you provide;
• Non-compliance of the property with municipal, provincial, or national law;
• Any failure to disclose material facts to the Municipal Authority or to STRLCS;
• Any breach by you of these Terms.

12. POPIA & data

STRLCS handles your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 and our Privacy Policy. You consent to STRLCS collecting, storing, using, and (subject to the safeguards in that Policy) sharing your personal information for the purposes set out there, including the referral, cross-brand, and marketing purposes described in this document.

13. Intellectual property

All content, methodologies, checklists, software, brand marks, and documents produced by STRLCS remain STRLCS's intellectual property. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use them solely for the purpose of your Application. You may not reproduce, republish, or on-sell any STRLCS material without STRLCS's prior written consent.

14. Notices & electronic communications

You consent to electronic communication from STRLCS. Any notice, agreement, disclosure, or other communication STRLCS sends to you by email to the address you have provided satisfies any legal requirement that such communication be in writing.

Notices to STRLCS must be sent to legal@strlcs.co.za or to STRLCS's domicilium citandi et executandi at Impala House, 27 Castle Street, Cape Town, 8001. Notices are deemed received on the first business day after sending in the case of email, or on delivery in the case of physical delivery.

15. Dispute resolution

The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute by direct discussion within 30 days of it arising. 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, including for intellectual-property protection.

16. Consumer Protection Act preservation

Nothing in these Terms limits, waives, or excludes any right or remedy you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008. To the extent any provision of these Terms is inconsistent with the CPA in a way that materially prejudices you, that provision is read down to the extent necessary to comply with the CPA.

17. General

• Independent contractors. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between the parties.
• Whole agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, any Schedule, and any written service agreement between the parties, form the whole agreement.
• Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the offending provision is severed to the extent required and the remaining provisions continue to have full effect.
• Amendments. STRLCS may amend these Terms on 30 days' notice by email and by publishing the amended Terms on our website. Continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance.
• Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• Costs. If STRLCS successfully pursues legal action to recover unpaid fees or to remedy a material breach, the defaulting party is liable for STRLCS's legal costs on an attorney-and-own-client scale.

Schedule 1 — Current fee schedule

Prices below are current as at the Effective Date of these Terms. STRLCS may update the schedule from time to time on 60 days' notice by publishing an updated schedule on our website.

Municipal application fees, submission fees, third-party inspection fees, Preferred Vendor invoices, and equipment costs are additional and are not included in the fees above.