SA Property Glossary

Property has its own vocabulary. Here are the South African terms you'll come across on Liivra, in plain language.

Buying & finance

• Bond — a home loan secured against the property. Your monthly bond repayment covers capital and interest.
• Bond originator — a specialist who submits your bond application to multiple banks to find the best rate. See bond referral.
• Transfer duty — a tax paid to SARS when property above a threshold changes hands.
• Conveyancer — the attorney who handles the legal transfer of the property into your name.
• Deed of transfer / registration — the legal process that registers you as the new owner at the Deeds Office.
• Offer to Purchase (OTP) — the written offer that, once accepted and signed (in wet ink), becomes the agreement of sale.

Renting

• Lease — the contract between landlord and tenant. On Liivra it's a real, hash-stamped PDF.
• Deposit — money held as security against damages, held by the landlord or a managing agent's trust account and protected on Liivra by Liivra Secure, which records who holds it.
• Tenant screening — checks on affordability and history; see screening.

Trust & regulation

• POPIA — the Protection of Personal Information Act, South Africa's data-protection law. See Privacy & POPIA.
• PPRA — the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority, which regulates estate agents.
• FFC (Fidelity Fund Certificate) — the certificate a compliant agent holds; see PPRA verification.
• FICA — anti-money-laundering law requiring identity checks in certain transactions.
• FAIS — the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, governing financial advice.
• ECTA — the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, which sets what can be signed electronically (leases yes; sale agreements need wet ink).
• Trust account — a ring-fenced account (a managing agent's, or a conveyancer's section-86 account) in which a deposit is held on the parties' behalf until a deal completes. On Liivra, Liivra Secure records who holds the deposit and keeps the ledger — Liivra itself is never the holder.

Liivra terms

• Verified Identity tiers — the trust ladder from ID to fully verified.
• PropCoins & PSI — rewards and reputation for good practice.
• Amplify — turning listing photos into AI property videos.

Can't find a term? Ask the Bond Agent or check the relevant guide.