Are you liable for a previous owner’s unpaid rates and taxes on a property?
You might not have initially been aware of this, but it might have arisen during conversation over dinner if somebody you know has recently purchased a house. The crux of the conversation was “beware when buying a new property, because you may become liable for rates going all the way back to the 1980s. This is notwithstanding that you were in a cot at the time.” Surely this could never be the case, especially since it is not your debt - it is the previous owner's debt?! However, fear not, the Gauteng Division of the High Court has clarified the…
