Thesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Section 25 of the South African Constitution authorises and sets the limits for two forms of legitimate regulatory interference with property, namely deprivation and expropriation. The focus of this dissertation is on the requirement in section 25(1) that no law may authorise arbitrary deprivation of property. According to the Constitutional Court, deprivation is arbitrary when there is insufficient reason for it. The Court listed a number of factors to consider in determining whether there is a sufficient relationship between the purpose to be achieved by deprivation and the regulatory method chosen to achieve it. The outcome of the arbitrariness question depends on the level of scrutiny applied in a particular case. The level of scrutiny ranges from rationality review to proportionality review. Deprivation that results in an excessively harsh regulatory burden for one or a small group of property owners will probably be substantively arbitrary and in conflict with section 25(1). Courts generally declare unconstitutional regulatory interferences with property rights invalid. However, invalidating legitimate regulatory measures that are otherwise lawful purely because they impose a harsh and excessive burden on some property owners may not always be justified if the regulatory measure fulfils an important regulatory purpose. Invalidating excessive regulatory measures may in some instances also be meaningless and may not constitute appropriate relief in vindicating the affected rights. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the appropriateness of alternative solutions to invalidating otherwise lawful and legitimate but excessive regulatory deprivations of property. The goal is to identify remedies that allow courts to uphold the regulatory measure and simultaneously balance out the excessive regulatory burden it imposes on property owners. One alternative solution is to transform the excessive regulatory measure into expropriation and require the state to pay compensation to the affected owner. This approach is referred to as constructive expropriation. However, in view of the Constitutional Court’s approach to and the wording of section 25 it seems unlikely that it will adopt constructive expropriation as a solution. Another alternative solution is for the legislature to include a statutory provision for compensation in the authorising statute. Examples from German, French, Dutch and Belgian law show that this approach balances out the excessive regulatory burden and allows courts to uphold the otherwise lawful and legitimate but excessive regulatory statute without judicially transforming the deprivation into expropriation. An overview of South African law indicates that there is legislation that includes non-expropriatory compensation provisions. In cases where the regulatory statute does not contain a compensation provision, the courts might consider reading such a duty to pay compensation into the legislation or awarding constitutional damages. In conclusion, it is possible for the state to deprive owners of property in a manner that may result in an excessive regulatory burden being suffered by one or a small group of property owners if the regulatory purpose is necessary in the public interest, provided that the legislature explicitly or implicitly provides for non-expropriatory compensation in the regulatory statute. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Artikel 25 van die Suid Afrikaanse Grondwet magtig en stel grense daar vir twee regmatige vorme van regulerende staatsinmenging met eiendom, naamlik ontneming en onteiening. Die fokus van hierdie proefskrif is op die vereiste in artikel 25(1) dat geen wet arbitrêre ontneming van eiendom mag toelaat nie. Volgens die Grondwetlike Hof is ʼn ontneming arbitrêr as daar nie ʼn voldoende rede daarvoor is nie. Die Hof het faktore gelys wat oorweeg moet word om te bepaal of daar ʼn voldoende verhouding bestaan tussen die doel wat die staat met ontneming van eiendom nastreef en die regulerende maatreël wat vir die doel gebruik word. Die uitkoms van die toets vir arbitrêre ontneming hang af van die hersieningsstandaard wat die howe in ʼn spesifieke geval gebruik. Die standaard wissel van ʼn redelikheidstoets tot ʼn proporsionaliteitstoets. ʼn Ontneming wat ʼn oormatige swaar las op een of ʼn beperkte groep eienaars plaas sal waarskynlik arbitrêr en teenstrydig met artikel 25(1) wees. Die howe se benadering is om ongrondwetlike ontnemings van eiendom ongeldig te verklaar, maar dit is nie altyd geregverdig om toelaatbare en andersins regmatige ontnemings wat ʼn oormatige las op sommige eienaars plaas ongeldig te verklaar nie. Die ongeldigverklaring van wetgewing wat ʼn oormatige ontneming magtig mag soms ook nutteloos wees en nie ʼn gepaste remedie wees om die eienaar se regte te herstel nie. Die doel van hierdie proefskrif is om die geskiktheid van alternatiewe oplossings tot die ongeldigverklaring van andersins regmatige maar oormatige ontnemings van eiendom te ondersoek Die doel is om remedies te identifiseer wat die howe toelaat om regulerende ontnemings in stand te hou en terselfdertyd die oormatige las op enkele eienaars uit te balanseer. Een alternatiewe oplossing is om die oormatige ontneming te omskep in onteiening en die staat sodoende te verplig om aan die eienaar vergoeding te betaal. Hierdie benadering staan bekend as konstruktiewe onteiening. Gegewe die Grondwetlike Hof se benadering tot en die bewoording van artikel 25 is dit onwaarskynlik dat die howe konstruktiewe ontneming as ʼn oplossing sal aanvaar. ʼn Ander alternatiewe oplossing is vir die wetgewer om ʼn statutêre bepaling vir vergoeding in die magtigende wetgewing in te voeg. Voorbeelde uit die Duitse, Franse, Nederlandse en Belgiese reg toon aan dat hierdie benadering ʼn oormatige las kan uitbalanseer en die howe toelaat om die andersins geldige en regmatige ontneming in stand te hou sonder om dit in onteiening te omskep. ʼn Oorsig van Suid Afrikaanse reg dui aan dat daar wetgewing bestaan wat wel voorsiening maak vir sodanige vergoeding. In gevalle waar die magtigende wetgewing nie vergoeding voorsien nie kan die howe oorweeg om ʼn vergoedingsplig in die wet in te lees of om grondwetlike vergoeding toe te ken. Hierdie proefskrif kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat dit grondwetlik moontlik is vir die staat om eienaars van eiendom te ontneem op ʼn wyse wat soms daartoe kan lei dat enkele eienaars ʼn oormatige swaar las moet dra, mits die ontneming ʼn belangrike openbare doel dien en die wetgewer uitdruklik of implisiet voorsiening maak vir vergoeding.

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Property taxes serve as a vital revenue source for local governments. The revenues derived from the property tax function as the primary funding source for a variety of critical local public service systems. Property tax appeal systems serve as quasi-administrative-judicial mechanisms intended to assure the public that property tax assessments are correct, fair, and equitable. Despite these important functions, there is a paucity of empirical research related to property tax appeal systems. This study contributes to property tax literature by identifying who participates in the property tax appeal process and examining their motivations for participation. In addition, the study sought to determine whether patterns of use and success in appeal systems affected the distribution of the tax burden. Data were collected by means of a survey distributed to single-family property owners from two Florida counties. In addition, state and county documents were analyzed to determine appeal patterns and examine the impact on assessment uniformity, over a three-year period. The survey data provided contextual evidence that single-family property owners are not as troubled by property taxes as they are by the conduct of local government officials. The analyses of the decision to appeal indicated that more expensive properties and properties excluded from initial uniformity analyses were more likely to be appealed, while properties with homestead exemptions were less likely to be appealed. The value change analyses indicated that appeals are clustered in certain geographical areas; however, these areas do not always experience a greater percentage of the value changes. Interestingly, professional representation did not increase the probability of obtaining a reduction in value. Other relationships between the variables were discovered, but often with weak predictive ability. Findings from the assessment uniformity analyses were also interesting. The results indicated that the appeals mechanisms in both counties improved assessment uniformity. On average, appealed properties exhibited greater horizontal and vertical inequities, as compared to non-appealed properties, prior to the appeals process. After, the appeal process was completed; the indicators of horizontal and vertical equity were largely improved. However, there were some indications of regressivity in the final year of the study.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Construction Project Management

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In the first part of this century, the traditional common law jurisdiction of England and Wales and the civil law jurisdiction of Taiwan simultaneously gave increased legal recognition of the homemaker’s non-financial contributions to the marriage relationship, albeit using quite different mechanisms to achieve this. Family law in both jurisdictions has faced the issue of whether it should adapt to changed social norms by better reflecting the equal partnership discourse of marriage in the value that should be given to non-financial contributions typically made by women, such as housework and childcare, both during the marriage and on divorce. Yet, whether and how to do this has been the subject of much debate in both jurisdictions. This thesis therefore considers how the laws in these jurisdictions assess the value of non-financial contributions, before, during and after marriage (i.e. on divorce). It explores the extent to which they meet the aim of achieving substantive gender equality by weighing their achievements against the principles of gender mainstreaming. In order to evaluate this in the context of Taiwan where a gender mainstreaming approach was employed to frame the recent legislative reforms, a qualitative empirical research study was undertaken. The study also considers how social and cultural norms operate alongside or in opposition to the intended effects of legal developments in this field and argues that at the very least, stronger legal provisions going beyond gender neutral laws are needed to remove the traditional gendered assumptions about the low value of non-financial contributions. Therefore, this study intends to explore the problems which result from these socio-legal phenomena and, drawing on the strengths and weaknesses identified in the comparative study of Taiwan and England and Wales, put forward possible legal solutions. These, it is argued, involve a reconceptualisation of the value of non-financial contributions to marriage.

Development of the Real Property Law Regulation in Czech Lands in 19th and 20th centuries The purpose of my master degree thesis is to analyse the development of legal regulation in the field of real property law in the Czech lands between years 1800 and 2000. There is several reasons for my research which are specified in the thesis's Preface: the fact I am very interested in everything what is connected with the legal aspects of real property questions, my original profession (having secondary school education in construction domain - and construction is a real property according to the valid Czech legal form) and influence of the denial of certain general principles of property law in the Czechoslovakia in the past to my family. The thesis is composed of ten chapters, each of them describing the legal regulation of the real property law in different historical period of time. Chapter One is introductory and defines basic characteristics of real property law in the past, beginnings of its concept as a fundamental human right and specificities of the soil including mentioning the exclusive Czech legal institute buildings being a real property. Chapter Two shows the essential institutes of legal relations to the real properties from the beginnings of Czech statehood (feudalism and absolutism times)...

Student Number : 0210329K - MSc research report - School of Construction Economics and Management - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / The government of Lesotho is experiencing a rapid rate of dilapidation of its dwelling houses, and if this goes unabated, the government will lose even more in terms of the expenditure on maintenance and repair, and eventually the houses themselves, thereby losing a good asset base. The research considers the possible causes of the rapid rate of dilapidation of the Lesotho government dwelling houses. It draws attention to the level of effectiveness of the property management structure and or framework of the Lesotho government. Further it considers the possible overall effects of the current continued dilapidation on the management of the property assets by the Lesotho government. The research draws attention to the present system of property management practiced by the government, and compares it with that of the private sector, considers the ways in which the government may have to adapt, and suggests that while the government dwelling houses are neglected in terms of maintenance, there will be some countervailing opportunities for a more effective strategic use of the property asset. A number of respondents drawn from the private sector, two government departments, and the housing occupants, were interviewed using administered and self-administered questionnaires for this research. The hypotheses ‘that efficient property asset management is significantly dependent on a good property management framework/structure’ and ‘that there is a correlation between the declining property values and the level of rentals payable to the Lesotho government’ were confirmed. This is seen in the fact that the Lesotho property management structure lacks the capacity to manage their pool of available housing structure. Moreover, that the kind of expertise available is not fitting to be able to manage the government houses. The Lesotho government lacks the required expertise for the management of its housing assets, and this has led to a rapid dilapidation of the housing stock for the inadequacy in management resulted in poor maintenance of the housing stock, as the management failed to identify key issues in property management. 3 Keywords: Property Dilapidation, Maintenance, Dwelling houses, Government Property Management.