Home Loan Costs & Fees in South Africa
Buying a home in South Africa costs more than the price on the listing. This hub explains transfer duty, bond registration and attorney fees, deeds office charges and the other upfront cash buyers must budget for — with typical amounts, who charges what, and when each payment falls due.
Transfer duty, bond registration, attorney fees and the other cash costs buyers forget to budget for.
Updated 29 Sept 20268 min read
Using money from family for your deposit: the gift letter banks require, what it means for the giver, and gift vs loan.
Updated 04 Sept 20266 min read
What it really costs to cancel a bond in 2026 — the LSSA guideline fee, Deeds Office schedule, early-settlement charge, and why you pay an attorney you never appointed.
Updated 19 Oct 20267 min read
Occupational rent is paid by a buyer who moves in before transfer — or a seller who stays on after — at a rate agreed in the OTP, typically a rule-of-thumb 0.55%–1.0% of the purchase price per month or the property's market rental. How the amount is set and what happens in a dispute.
Updated 19 Oct 20268 min read
Two attorneys charge on the 2026 LSSA tariff scale when you buy — the conveyancer the seller appoints and the bond attorney the bank appoints. Who pays which, and the dated fee table.
Updated 09 Sept 20267 min read
What bond registration actually costs — the bond attorney fee, Deeds Office bond fee and bank initiation fee — with a cost table by bond size and when each one is due.
Updated 17 Sept 20267 min read
What transfer costs actually are — SARS transfer duty, the conveyancing attorney fee and the Deeds Office transfer fee — with a dated cost table by purchase price and who pays.
Updated 29 Sept 20268 min read
What SARS transfer duty is, the 2026/27 bracket table with the R1,210,000 threshold, how the tax is calculated, who pays it, and how long you have to pay.
Updated 21 Sept 20268 min read
The buyer pays transfer duty, the conveyancing fee and Deeds Office fees; the seller pays agent commission and cancels their old bond. Item-by-item, with 2026 figures.
Updated 19 Oct 20267 min read
Capped at R6,037.50 incl. VAT by the NCA — the formula, when you pay it, and what capitalising it adds to your monthly repayment.
Updated 15 Oct 20267 min read
South African bonds require two kinds of cover: homeowners insurance for the building and credit life as a bank condition — with premiums capped by regulation and your right to use your own insurer.
Updated 20 Oct 20267 min read
A standard South African bond covers the purchase price only — but the bank initiation fee can be added to the loan, some lenders lend above 100% to absorb upfront costs, and transfer duty can never be financed.
Updated 27 Oct 20266 min read