Nikhail completed his LLB degree at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and practises as an Attorney, Conveyancer and Notary Public. He joined STBB in 2014 to complete his articles at the Cape Town branch and has, since 2018, been the Director and branch head of the STBB East London branch. He specialises in property law and conveyancing and has extensive experience in sectional title and township registration, servitudes and subdivisions and consolidations. He has a large correspondent practice and manages a local retail conveyancing practice while also providing legal updates to estate agents and other role-players in the property industry. Nikhail is passionate about his career and The Big Small Firm and believes that hard work conquers all. He is an avid traveller and a car enthusiast and enjoys spending time with his family.

Thought of the Week | Appointment of the Conveyancer in a Sale Agreement

Why is the seller generally the party that is afforded the opportunity to appoint the conveyancing attorneys when the purchaser is settling the account?

This is because the seller is far more at risk than the purchaser. In the 1903 case of James v Liquidators of the Amsterdam Township Company, the court declared that “when a person is under a legal obligation to do something to complete a contract, and the circumstances necessitates the appointment of an agent to do it, then that person has the right to appoint his own agent. Both by common law and by statue the seller is bound to pass transfer ..”, and hence the seller has the choice of transferring attorney, although this is negotiable.

For more information, contact us at STBB.

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