Glen Smit, Pam Golding Properties Margate's sectional title manager, says the significant growth of their business is attributable to the professional and efficient service that has been provided to clients.

"Clients have peace of mind in dealing with a reputable company with all back-up, infrastructure and recourse at their disposal, as required by this kind of operation. The sectional title industry is not what it used to be, as a few years ago it structured itself under the auspices of NAMA (National Association of Managing Agents), of which PGP Margate is a member."

"Sectional title administration is often mistakenly perceived to be a service or function which can be provided by anyone who has some bookkeeping knowledge, when in fact it is a much specialised job that should be given to a professional company to handle. Sadly, most of the time clients only seek to appoint a managing agent when things have gone horribly wrong, with neighbours barely speaking to each other. We have had a few instances where even the financials were mismanaged, resulting in additional cost to owners who were then compelled to come to the aid of the complex with their hard earned savings," says Smit.

Says Dina Porteous: "All our staff are professionally trained and Smit himself has just completed the Certificate in Sectional Title, a course which is the first to be offered by the University of Cape Town's Law Faculty."

Due to the obvious need for developers to stay well informed in regard to these important aspects, PGP Margate will be hosting a sectional title seminar for developers in November 2006, with Sectional Title Specialist Graham Paddock.