Frequently Asked Questions

Garlington Retirement Village is a country retirement village which will, once complete, include 32 freehold properties, a sectional title scheme of between 40 – 44 Karoo Townhouses, approximately 30 Retirement Suites (with the option of care), the frail care centre, Garlick House, and a sub-acute care facility. Garlington Retirement Village is luxury lifestyle facility in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

Garlington Retirement Village is the mature lifestyle component of Garlington Estate. Residents of the Village are free to enjoy the amenities and facilities of Garlington Estate, aside from the gym, which requires payment of a monthly subscription. Property owners (both freehold and sectional title) contribute a monthly levy to enjoy the support of Garlick House, the care centre, whilst the owners of Garlington Estate pay a subscription of the same amount to the gym. Save for access to the gym, owners in Garlington Estate have all the rights, obligations and benefits of owners at Garlington Estate.

All owners at Garlington are members of the Garlington Homeowners’ Association (“HOA“) which is responsible for the management of the estate. Annually the members elect a Board of Directors, who in turn are responsible for the management of Garlington. The Board, on behalf of its members, employs a General Manager, Estate Manager, accountant and such other staff as are required to professionally manage the estate.

Each homeowner (both freehold and sectional title) pays a monthly levy to the HOA, derived from a base levy. Smaller properties pay a lesser levy, such as the freehold properties in the Village where the monthly levy payable to the HOA is 70% of the base levy. In the case of sectional title levies, the levy is determined by the size of the unit.

Levies are as follows:

Freehold Houses:

• Garlington HOA: R1 541.71
• Refuse removal: R164.66
• Garlick House, Care Centre: R378.83

Sectional Title Karoo Townhouses:

• Garlington HOA: R660.74
• Karoo Townhouse Body Corp: R1 502.39 (Unit 4)
• Garlick House, Care Centre: R378.83

Assisted Living Units:

• Garlington HOA: R440.49
• Body Corporate R762.50
• Assisted Living Levy: 4 864.83

All owners at Garlington Estate pay a gym levy. Property owners at Garlington Retirement Village do not pay the gym levy but pay an amount equal to the gym subscription to the HOA, as a contribution towards the operating costs of the care centre.

Property owners in Garlington Retirement Village who wish to make use of the gym, will need to join the gym. They will be obliged to pay the same monthly subscription as other home owners in Garlington. However, once they are contributing to the care centre, their gym levy will be reduced to 50% of the monthly gym levy.

The levies payable to the HOA cover the costs of security; maintenance of the services such as the sewerage, water reticulation, roads; maintenance of the public spaces and the administrative costs of the HOA and such other expenses as the Board of the HOA may incur in looking after the affairs of the association.

In the case of the sectional title schemes, the owners of units are obliged to pay a monthly levy to the body corporate. The body corporate levy covers the cost of the maintenance of the exterior of the units, the maintenance of the common areas in the sectional title scheme, insurance and the administration of the body corporate.

Levies do not cover the cost of water and electricity. Electricity is supplied by the Msunduzi Municipality and water is supplied by the uMngeni Municipality and is supplemented by boreholes owned by the (“GDT“) the developer of Garlington Estate.

Garlington Retirement Village has one sectional title scheme which will comprise of between 40 – 44 Karoo Townhouses.

In addition to the sectional title units at Garlington Retirement Village, the Town Planning Scheme allows for sectional title units to be built on Erven 322 and 323, both being zoned Central Zone and are on the corner of the Avenue and Garlick Avenue.

Garlick House, the care centre which comprises of 10 en-suite units, and the Retirement Suites (with the option of care) are available for purchase through the Life Rights Scheme.

Should you wish to sell a property purchased by Life Right, the property is purchased back from you by the developer. The model works on a sliding scale based on the time of occupation.

• 1-year occupation: 90% of the selling price, less 5% of the selling price, which gets paid to the Stabilization fund, less any refurbishment costs (if incurred).
• 2-years occupation: 80% of the selling price, less 5% of the selling price, which gets paid to the Stabilization fund, less any refurbishment costs (if incurred).
• 3-years occupation onwards: 70% of the selling price, less 5% of the selling price, which gets paid to the Stabilization fund, less any refurbishment costs (if incurred).

It is anticipated that houses will be completed within 10 months of commencement, subject, of course, to any delays caused by inclement weather.

Once an agreement of sale is signed, the developer will instruct the architects to prepare the building plans. This should take approximately one month. Once the building plans have been prepared, they will be submitted to the Umgeni Municipality for approval. This process takes between 2 and 4 months. Once plans are approved by the Municipality, they are registered with the NHBRC. This process takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks. As soon as the NHBRC has registered the house, the site is then handed over to the builder to commence building.

If all the processes move efficiently and well, it will take between 3 and 4 months to commence on a house, after the date of sale and then approximately 10 months to complete the building of the house (an overall period of between 13 and 14 months).

Purchasers will be given one months’ calendar notice of their occupation date.

Erf 369 has been set aside for garages. The GDT has built 12 garages which are leased to owners at Garlington per month. They have the right to build additional garages and should any of the owners of units in Garlington Retirement Village require additional storage space, they may approach the GDT to build additional garages, for the purpose of rental.

The agreements of sale include a provision that a 6m wide garden servitude will be registered on the north of Garlick Avenue and a 2m wide garden servitude on the south of Garlick Avenue. It is intended that this be a public space and the developers are bearing the cost of building pathways and landscaping this area.

It is the intention that the servitude should be registered either in favour of the HOA or, alternatively, in favour of the property owners in Garlington Retirement Village.

The HOA’s decision regarding maintenance will determine who the servitude is to be registered in favour of.

Ducting has been laid throughout Garlington. All telephone and internet connection is provided by ATEC, who are responsible for the internet supply to Garlington. Homeowners will need to arrange and pay for installation with ATEC, thereafter a monthly cost is payable which gives the owner 10 megs speed and 5 gigs of complementary data. In addition it includes the telephone rental which gives free internal calls throughout the estate and to the guardhouse.

Stewart Kerr Engineers are responsible for the design of the foundations and any other civil issues relating to the houses. Geotech surveys are done for each property, prior to building commencing.

Upon the sale of a property by any homeowner, and this includes Garlington Retirement Village, an amount of 0,75% of the selling price is paid to the HOA and this is placed in the levy stabilisation fund, which forms part of the funds of the HOA and is under the control of the Board. The developer does not make this contribution per sale.

In the case of the 32 freehold properties, the individual property owners are obliged to insure their house, while in the case of the sectional title owners, the insurance is taken out by the body corporate on behalf of all the home owners.