- The City of Johannesburg says family members listed on a municipal account don’t automatically inherit legal ownership of a property.
- Deceased estates must go through the Master of the High Court, not the municipality, to determine rightful ownership.
Having your name on your late mother or father’s municipal account does not mean the house is legally yours. That is the warning from the City of Johannesburg, aimed at families dealing with a property after a parent or relative has died.
Kgamanyane Maphologela, Director for Communications and Stakeholder Management in the city’s Group Finance department, said the issue comes up often enough to cause real confusion for grieving families.
“A family home often represents decades of sacrifice and is an important part of the legacy parents leave to their children. But when a property owner passes away, uncertainty about the administrative and legal processes can create serious complications for families,” Maphologela said.
The city said it does not determine who inherits a property. That process must go through a deceased estate, administered by the Master of the High Court.
“The deceased estate must be administered through the appropriate legal process involving the Master of the High Court. The City does not determine inheritance or ownership, but our responsibility is to help families understand how the municipal account should be managed while the estate process is being finalised,” Maphologela said.
The city said family members whose names appear on a property’s municipal account do not automatically gain legal ownership as a result. Families are urged to follow the correct legal process when dealing with a deceased relative’s property, rather than assume the municipal account settles the matter.
