Maryna holds the BA, LLB, LLM degrees and is a Director at the Cape Town branch of STBB. She is an admitted Attorney, Notary Public, Conveyancer and Insolvency Practitioner with many years of experience in the fields of property law, conveyancing and the laws relating to corporate compliance (especially in respect of the FICA and POPIA laws). Up until 2018 she was also head of the firm’s national marketing portfolio. She is a seasoned public speaker and presenter, both in person and online. She prepares text for the majority of STBB’s internal and external publications and is editor and co-writer for two pivotal publications in the South African real estate industry – the ABC of Conveyancing (JUTA) and Delport’s South African Property Law and Practice (JUTA).

Newsflash | Non-Residential building owners, take note before 7 December

In terms of regulations issued under the National Energy Act, non-residential building owners and their state counterparts (the ‘Accounting Officers’ in government departments) must publicly display an energy performance certificate at their building entrances on or before 7 December 2022.

What is this certificate all about?
The certificate is a recordal of the energy rating of a building which is indicated by a letter between A to G, with A indicating ‘very efficient’ and G signifying ‘inefficient’. The certificate must be procured from an inspection body accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS).

Which non-residential buildings must obtain such a certificate?
The regulations determine that a certificate must be obtained for all privately-owned or government-owned non-residential buildings, provided the following three requirements are present in addition:

  1. The building’s use is predominantly for:
    • Entertainment and public assembly (A1 use): Occupancy where persons gather to eat, drink, dance or participate in other recreation.
    • Theatrical and indoor sport (A2 use): Occupancy where persons gather for the viewing of theatrical, operatic, orchestral, choral, cinematographical or sport performances.
    • Places of instruction (A3 use): Occupancy where school children, students or other persons assemble for the purpose of tuition or learning.
    • Offices (G1 use): Occupancy comprising offices, banks, consulting rooms and other similar usage
  5. The floor area exceeds 1000 m² in the case of a government building, or exceeds 2000 m² in the case of a privately-owned building.
  6. The building has been used mostly for the A1, A2, A3 or G1 purposes for longer than two years and has not recently undergone substantial renovations.
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