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Have a question you would like answered? Email us and we may answer it. The questions here are based on ones from our readers, with identifying information removed.

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Topic: Housing  |  Show questions and answers for all topics

I applied for an RDP house in 2002 but never received it, yet records wrongly show me as having received one.

Make a sworn affidavit stating that you have never benefited from any RDP house, submit it to your municipality, and escalate the matter to the MEC if necessary.

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My mother has right to live on a farm under ESTA, can I remain there after her death and would I be compensated for the house she built if I can't?

Only your mother that has permission to stay out her lifetime under ESTA provisions. The landowner is required to compensate you for the building of the house.

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Can I legally claim ownership of an RDP house sold to me by someone who isn't the deceased owner's legal heir?

If the deceased father did not leave a will, the law of Intestate Succession applies. If the son was not named on the title deed, he is not authorised to sell the house.

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My mother died just as her application for an RDP house was approved. Will we, as her surviving children, be given the house?

You will have to go the municipality where your mother applied and ask them for their advice in this situation.

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How can I challenge or nullify an affidavit which was signed under false pretences?

Make a sworn affidavit stating all the facts, take a copy of your nephew's affidavit to a lawyer for legal help.

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Can the only surviving adult child evict the grandchildren from their late grandmother’s house if there is no will?

No, they cannot evict their deceased mother’s grandchildren from her house. Your uncle is entitled to a share of the home as is the dependents of his deceased sibling's children.

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How can I check the status of my father's RDP application if he applied with a Dompas? Using his ID number does not work.

You need an ID to apply for an RDP house, so I'm not sure how it would work with a Dompas. He should go to the municipality with his ID and ask for help.

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My mother's RDP was given to someone she doesn't know in another province. They're wrongly listed as her spouse. What can we do?

Your mother should return to the municipality where she applied for the RDP house with her documents and ask them to investigate how it was wrongly awarded to someone she doesn’t know.

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Do I have any rights to fight for my grandmother's house, which her son, my uncle, has since sold?

If you were one of the dependents named in her RDP application, this would not give you the right to inherit the house.

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Is it possible to transfer an RDP application from one province to another?

Unfortunately not. If your application was not approved or if it was approved but you never received a house, you can cancel your application and submit a new one somewhere else.

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