Help Centre
Plan your numbers with the calculators below, get your questions answered, then download the app when you’re ready to search, tour, and sign.
Work out monthly repayment on any bond amount, interest rate, and term.
Find the maximum bond you qualify for based on SA bank rules (30 % DTI).
See the real cost of renting vs buying over 5, 10, or 20 years.
Transfer duty, conveyancing, and bond registration fees at a glance.
What landlords are likely to ask upfront based on your risk profile.
Printable SA move-in list — lease, utilities, SARS, POPIA.
Sectional title, FFC, TPN, FICA — plain-language definitions.
Top answers about verification, escrow, language support, and more.
Browse listings, tour virtually, and manage deposits on the go.
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What will your monthly repayment be? Punch in the numbers and see the principal-vs-interest split over your full loan term.
Estimate your monthly bond repayment. Based on South African bank level-payment amortisation at current prime rate.
Monthly repayment
R 24 383
Total interest
R 3 602 018
Total paid
R 5 852 018
Principal vs interest over time
How much bond could you qualify for? Based on the 30 % debt-to-income rule SA banks apply on home-loan assessments.
Estimate the maximum bond you’d qualify for based on the 30 % debt-to-income rule South African banks use when assessing home-loan applications.
Maximum bond
R 968 897
Based on a monthly repayment of R 10 500 (30 % of gross minus existing debt).
Your monthly income breakdown
Is buying cheaper than renting over the horizon you care about? Factors in transfer duty, bond repayment, rental inflation, property appreciation, and the opportunity cost of your deposit. Break-even year surfaces if/when buying overtakes renting.
Compare the real cost of renting vs buying over 10 years. Factors in transfer duty + conveyancing + bond registration, annual rental inflation, property appreciation, and the opportunity cost of your deposit if you invested it instead.
Over 10 years
Buying wins by R 1 552 062
Break-even point: buying becomes cheaper than renting from year 1.
Cost of renting
R 2 557 320
net of investment growth on deposit
Cost of buying
R 1 005 258
net of property appreciation + equity
Monthly bond repayment
R 24 383
Up-front buy costs
R 134 700
transfer duty + attorney + bond reg
Budget flag: the monthly bond (R 24 383) + levies (R 2 500) + your existing debt is 66% of gross \u2014 SA banks generally cap this at 30%.
Cumulative cost over time
One-time cash you need at transfer — on top of your deposit. Uses the current SARS transfer-duty brackets plus the Law Society conveyancing + bond-registration scale.
One-time costs at transfer — on top of your deposit. Uses SARS 2026 transfer-duty brackets + the Law Society of SA recommended conveyancing + bond registration scale. VAT (15 %) is included on the attorney fees.
Note: Estimates only. Actual fees vary between conveyancers and with property specifics (sectional title, new build, off-plan, etc.). Get a firm quote from your attorney before signing.
Total upfront at transfer
R 124 101
Plus your R250k deposit, payable to the transferring attorney.
Transfer duty (SARS) Progressive SARS brackets | R 67 200 |
Conveyancing (attorney) Law-Society scale + 15 % VAT | R 33 695 |
Bond registration Bond-scale fee + 15 % VAT | R 21 706 |
Deeds Office + admin Searches, FICA, postages | R 1 500 |
Expected security deposit for SA rentals. Based on monthly rent, your risk profile (TPN + credit), and any pet or furnished-unit add-ons.
Landlords in SA usually hold 1 – 2.5x monthly rent as a refundable deposit. The exact figure rides on your risk profile (credit + TPN history), plus any pet or furnished add-ons. This is an estimate, not a rule — landlords set their own terms within the Rental Housing Act.
POPIA + Rental Housing Act: Your deposit must be held in an interest-bearing account, and the interest accrues to you. On exit, the landlord has 7 days (no dispute) or 21 days (dispute) to refund. Liivra Pay holds deposits in a registered trust account (via TradeSafe) so this is automatic.
Refundable deposit estimate
R 18 000
1.5x your monthly rent — refundable when you vacate, less any agreed deductions.
Cash needed before move-in
R 31 000
Excludes utility deposits (City of Joburg, eThekwini, etc.) which are usually billed separately by the municipality.
The SA essentials for the first 48 hours in a new rental — lease paperwork, utility transfers, SARS + FICA updates, POPIA consent log. Tick as you go, print or save as PDF.
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Before you sign — and on the day you sign
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Keep SARS, banks, and insurers current
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On the day itself
Disclaimer: General guide for SA residential tenants. Does not replace legal advice. Rental Housing Act + POPIA provisions apply.
Sectional title, FFC, TPN, FICA — every acronym you’ll run into when renting or buying in South Africa, in plain language.
The SA property world is acronym-heavy. 21terms you’ll run into, plain-language — tap to expand.
Everything about how Liivra works, grouped by topic. Can’t find your question? Drop us a message.
What Liivra is and who it's for.
Step-by-step for common actions on app and web.
Finding the right home, faster.
For landlords, sellers and agents.
360° tours and 3D dollhouses.
Booking and attending in-person viewings.
Applying to rent and tenant vetting.
Making an offer and the path to transfer.
What things cost and how you pay.
How money is held and released.
Verification, reviews, reporting and disputes.
POPIA, data sharing and your rights.
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