New developments in South Africa

Most of South Africa's private building activity is concentrated in a few provinces. In 2025 the Western Cape's larger municipalities passed building plans worth R34.95 billion, 35.3% of the national total and more than any other province, according to Stats SA. Within the province, the City of Cape Town alone passed R20.65 billion, more than any other metro in the country.

RealSoon focuses on that market and currently lists new developments in Cape Town only. Start with our Western Cape overview, then compare areas on the Cape Town page, or go straight to current projects on developments.

An off-plan purchase usually starts with a reservation, followed by a written sale agreement with the developer. The Alienation of Land Act says a sale of land has no force or effect unless it is in a deed of alienation signed by both parties, so verbal promises about finishes, parking or views count for nothing unless they are written in.

Most agreements are subject to conditions, such as the buyer getting bond approval by a set date or the developer reaching a minimum number of sales. You pay a deposit, the building goes up, and the conveyancing attorney registers the unit in your name once the sectional title scheme is opened at the deeds office. Your bond and full payment only become due around transfer, as our guide to getting a bond for an off-plan apartment explains. Our step-by-step guide to buying off-plan walks through each stage, from reservation to sectional title transfer. If you live abroad, see can foreigners buy off-plan in Cape Town for how exchange control and tax apply to non-resident buyers.

South African law gives two limited cooling-off rights. Section 29A of the Alienation of Land Act lets a natural person cancel an offer or agreement to buy residential property within five days of signing, but only where the price is R250,000 or less. Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act gives five business days to cancel, but only where the sale resulted from direct marketing, meaning you were approached in person, by post or electronically.

In practice, most off-plan purchases at today's prices fall outside both rules, especially if you approached the developer or visited a show unit yourself. Treat the reservation form and sale agreement as binding from the moment you sign, and get the conveyancer or your own attorney to read them first.

Under section 54 of the Property Practitioners Act, every property practitioner must keep trust money in a separate trust account at a registered bank and may only pay it out when lawfully entitled or instructed in writing. The Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority lists developers who carry out property practitioner activities among those covered by the Act.

On most off-plan sales the deposit is paid into the conveyancing attorney's trust account and held until transfer; attorneys must operate trust accounts under the Legal Practice Act. Check the sale agreement for three things: who holds the deposit, whether it is invested in an interest-bearing account, and who receives the interest. Be wary of any request to pay a deposit directly to the developer's business account.

A property sale attracts either VAT or transfer duty, never both. When a VAT-registered developer sells a new home as part of its business, VAT at 15% is included in the price and section 9(15) of the Transfer Duty Act exempts the sale from transfer duty. That saving is one reason buyers choose new developments.

If the seller is not a VAT vendor, for example a private owner reselling, transfer duty applies. For agreements concluded from 1 April 2025, SARS charges nothing on the first R1,210,000, then 3% on the value between R1,210,001 and R1,663,800, rising in bands to 13% above R13,310,000. SARS confirmed no changes to these rates from 1 April 2026. For the rand amounts of VAT, conveyancing and bond costs on a new apartment, see our guide to what it costs to buy a new apartment in Cape Town.

The Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act requires anyone who builds or sells new homes to be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), and section 14 says construction may not start until the home is enrolled and the NHBRC has issued proof of enrolment. Enrolment brings the home under the NHBRC's warranty scheme against major structural defects. Ask the developer for the builder's registration number and the enrolment certificate for your unit.

The Housing Consumer Protection Act 25 of 2024, published in January 2025, will replace the 1998 Act and extend registration to developers, but it had not come into force at the time of writing.