Can the municipality evaluate my late father's RDP house?

The long answer

The municipality will perform evaluations on RDP houses to determine its value, though I could not establish whether it is actually a requirement to have the RDP house evaluated, bearing in mind that as the house cannot be sold before the eight years are up, the value may well have changed when the eight years are up. But as the Master of The High Court’s decision to appoint either an executor or a person with the letter of authority to administer the deceased estate depends on the value of the estate, it would seem that an evaluation of the RDP house might well be necessary for the Master to make the correct appointment. An executor for estates valued at over R250,000 is appointed, while a person with the letter of authority is appointed if the estate is valued at under R250,000. 

And as JJR Inc. says, it is safer to directly liaise with the department of Housing (Human Settlements) when in need of any information or clarity on government-subsidised houses. 

If your father did not yet have a title deed, he would have had a “happy letter” advising him that he had been awarded the house, which he would have had to sign. The municipality would have a record of the dependants your late father had listed in his RDP application. The dependents listed in the application generally do stand to inherit the house when the owner dies, because they are usually the beneficiary’s children and the government’s policy is that RDP houses should stay in the family. Children who were not listed as dependents (for example, if they were born after your father applied for or received his house and not listed on the application) may still stand to inherit.

You should take that “happy letter” (which the municipality would have a copy of),the death notice, your ID and any other information proving that you are your late father’s son, when you go to see the municipality and ask for information and assistance with evaluation of the house. 

As a title deed is the only legal proof of ownership, you can only include a property in your will and say whom you want to leave it to, if you have a title deed. And as Filo.com points out in their article about RDP inheritance rules, heirs cannot already own another RDP house. 

If your father did not leave a will, he would be said to have died intestate and the estate would be inherited by a surviving spouse and children.

JJR Inc. also draws attention to the fact that a person who has inherited an RDP house from a deceased person cannot sell the house until it has been transferred to them. This would be done through a legal conveyancer who liaises with the Deeds Office. Nowadays this would probably cost upwards of R8,000. The municipality must advise you on the necessary steps to formally transfer the title deed and ownership and must assist with the transfer process.

To contact the municipality, you can call the City of Ekurhuleni’s call centre at 0860 543 000, or send an email to info@ekurhuleni.gov.za. You may be directed to a Housing Liaison Officer who can assist with matters concerning title deeds, deceased estates and RDP house evaluations.

You can also contact Ekurhuleni’s relevant Customer Care Centre. The nearest one to Palm Ridge is probably the Alberton Customer Care Centre. These are their contact details:

Address: 1 Alwyn Taljaard Avenue, Alberton 1449

Tel: 011 999 2100

Customer Relations Manager: Khosi Dlamini

Email: khosi.dlamini@ekurhuleni.gov.za

Tel: 011 999 0658/2489

Wishing you the best,
Athalie