Lease It Right: The Landlord’s Guide to Choosing, Writing and Updating a Lease That Protects You

Is a company renting a house for staff accommodation a commercial tenant? Does a verbal lease count? What happens when you allow a pet after the lease has already been signed? These questions look simple, but the answer can affect the law that applies, the wording you need and the remedies available when something goes wrong.

This course turns SBL Incorporated’s legal training into a practical landlord workflow. You will learn to classify a lease by the property’s intended use, understand the different legal frameworks for residential and commercial letting, record core terms in a written agreement, use targeted addendums and complete a structured onboarding process before occupation.

The aim is not to turn landlords into attorneys. It is to help you recognise decisions that can safely follow a checklist and situations – especially mixed use, CPA applicability, cancellation and eviction – that need professional legal guidance.

Who this course is for

• South African private landlords preparing or renewing a lease.
• New property investors who need a practical lease-onboarding framework.
• Landlords considering home offices, staff accommodation or mixed-use occupation.
• Self-managing landlords who need to document pets, utilities, gardens, pools or scheme rules.

Learning outcomes

• Classify a lease according to the intended use of the property rather than the label on a template.
• Describe the main differences between residential and commercial lease frameworks.
• Recognise when CPA application, mixed use, VAT or eviction issues require careful analysis.
• Explain why a written lease is safer even though a verbal lease may be valid.
• Identify the core information that should be captured in a written lease.
• Select and manage relevant addendums without creating contradictions.
• Apply a practical pre-occupation onboarding checklist.