Owning a home comes with more moving parts than most first-time buyers expect: a repair and warranty timeline that runs from your handover day to five years down the line, a monthly municipal bill, two types of insurance, prepaid utilities to manage, and ongoing maintenance that is entirely your responsibility from the day you sign your letter of satisfaction. This guide brings all of it together in one place, with links through to our detailed guides wherever you need the full how-to.
The moment you receive your keys and sign your "happy letter" (your letter of satisfaction), home maintenance and repairs become your responsibility, not Cosmopolitan Projects', your bond provider's, or your insurer's. That does not mean you are on your own immediately, though. Your new home comes with a structured set of checkpoints designed to catch problems early:
| Stage | When | What it covers |
| Tick sheet | Day of key handover | Snag list of visible defects |
| After-occupation installations | Within 5 working days of moving in | Stove, oven, gas bottle, inverter, external tap/drain cover |
| Retention repairs | Day 45–91 after moving in | Non-warranty snags noticed after living in the home |
| Emergency repairs | First 12 months | Plumbing, electrical, and roof faults |
| Quality inspection report | Up to 5 years after handover | Latent defects from workmanship |
| Structural warranty (NHBRC) | 5 years | Serious structural cracks |
On handover day, you and your handover specialist complete a tick sheet together, so allow at least two hours to inspect your new home properly, checking everything from major faults (no electricity, no hot water) down to minor ones (chipped tiles, small cracks). A few items, like your stove, oven, gas bottle, inverter, and external tap and drain cover, are installed separately within five working days of occupation for security reasons.
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Home ownership comes with layered cover that narrows in scope the longer you live in the house. Understanding what is covered when will save you money and frustration.
As you start using doors, windows, taps, toilets, and cupboards day to day, you'll likely notice a few things that were not obvious during your tick sheet inspection, like a loose door handle or a settlement crack. You will receive an online retention form via email on day 45 to log these. This is a once-off opportunity: report what you find, because after day 91, upkeep of these items becomes yours to handle.
Plumbing, electrical installations, and your roof structure carry a 12-month guarantee from the date your house registration is complete. Scan the QR code in your handover pack to log it if your geyser trips the electricity, a tap leaks, or your roof lets in water. Our client care team responds within 12 hours, and a contractor completes the repair within 24 to 72 hours. Full details, including exactly what is covered and what voids this warranty, are in our Home Repair and Emergencies Guide.
Your home's structure is protected by a 5-year warranty administered by the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). This covers serious structural cracks, not hairline or normal settlement cracks, and you can request a quality inspection report at any point within the five years if you suspect a latent defect linked to construction quality. See our NHBRC Guarantee guide for the full breakdown of what's covered at each stage and how to lodge a complaint if needed.
One rule runs through every warranty above: doing your own repairs or alterations to a covered system, whether that is the geyser, roof, electrics, plumbing, or the structure itself, will invalidate the warranty on that item. Always report the issue first rather than fixing it yourself.
Warranties taper off over time, which is why insurance is a core part of responsible home ownership from day one. As a homeowner, you need two separate policies:
Arranging both policies, keeping premiums paid, and knowing your excess fee are entirely your responsibility as the homeowner. For the full picture, including what's covered, what is not, and how to claim, see our Home Insurance guide.
Understanding home ownership also means understanding what lands in your inbox (or on your prepaid meter) every month.
Once your property registers in your name, your local council starts billing you, regardless of whether you have moved in yet. Your municipal bill normally bundles rates and taxes (assessment rates) with water, electricity, sewerage, and refuse removal charges, though prepaid households won't see usage charges for water or electricity on this statement. Rates are calculated using the formula (house value - rebate) × tariff ÷ 12, and both rebates and tariffs vary by municipality and are reviewed annually. Our Municipal Bill guide walks through the full calculation and what changes if you bought off-plan, and our Local Municipality Contact Details for Gauteng guide has direct links for Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Mogale City, and Midvaal.
Most new Cosmopolitan homes use prepaid electricity, which means you buy power before you use it (typically via your banking app) and load it onto your meter using a token. There is no monthly bill to budget around, and no risk of an unexpectedly high account. See our Prepaid Electricity Meter guide for step-by-step buying and loading instructions, plus troubleshooting tips.
Many Cosmopolitan homes also use a prepaid water meter, so you buy water tokens (usually via your banking app) before you use them, the same way you would for electricity. Loading a token means entering the number on your meter's keypad and holding it close to the physical meter until it pairs. You'll also get one free token a month when you make a paid purchase, and municipalities require a purchase at least every 60 days or your meter will be blocked. See our Prepaid Water Meters guide for step-by-step buying and loading instructions, plus how to fix low water pressure and a blocked aerator.
Cosmopolitan Projects' digital partner, Surf4Life, offers fibre internet connection with no contracts, no credit checks, no throttling, and a free first month. Getting connected takes three steps: router installation, online registration, and package selection. Full details are in our Fibre Internet Connection guide.
This is where the bulk of long-term home ownership responsibility sits. Once your warranty windows close, regular maintenance is what protects your property's value, and your ability to make a valid insurance claim, since most policies cover sudden damage, not gradual wear and tear.
Our Home Maintenance Guide & Checklist is your complete room-by-room reference, covering roof and gutters, electrical and lighting, kitchen and stove care, walls, doors, windows and cupboards, and plumbing and drains. A few highlights worth knowing upfront:
A handful of maintenance topics go deep enough to warrant their own dedicated guides:
Blocked gutters cause overflow, damp walls, and roof damage. Check your roof regularly for loose tiles and properly sealed flashings, and clean debris out of your gutters and downpipes on a regular schedule, especially ahead of the rainy season. Our Gutters and Downpipes guide covers cleaning, securing, and sealing your system properly.
Settlement cracks are entirely normal in a newly built home and typically appear within the first two to five years as your foundation settles. Most, like hairline cracks and cornice cracks, are superficial and can be filled and painted by the homeowner. Horizontal cracks or anything wider than a few millimetres should be reported for professional inspection. Learn to tell the difference, and follow our seven-step repair process, in our Wall Cracks and Expansion Joints guide.
Know where your DB board is and what each switch controls, particularly your main breaker and earth leakage switch, and test your earth leakage switch regularly. Never force a tripping breaker back on; it is doing its job. Any electrical work should be done by a qualified electrician who can issue a Certificate of Compliance (COC), both for safety and to protect your one-year electrical warranty. See our Electrical Safety Tips guide for the full rundown.
Cracked or broken stove hobs are not covered under warranty, since this kind of damage is almost always caused by everyday misuse (dropped pots, incorrect cleaning, sliding cookware). Clean spills immediately with a soft cloth and mild soap, never abrasive powders or steel wool, and check your circuit breaker before logging a fault. If you have gas appliances, confirm your installation has a valid certificate of conformity from an LPGAS-registered installer.
A slow drip from your geyser's overflow safety valve is normal; a constant stream may point to a thermostat fault. Never use your geyser's circuit breaker as an on/off switch; it is not designed for that and doing so can damage it. If you have a solar geyser, keeping the vacuum tubes clean and adjusting your hot water habits seasonally can meaningfully cut your electricity costs. See our Solar Powered Geyser Tips guide for the details.
Selected Cosmopolitan homes come with a backup inverter system, giving you uninterrupted power to essential circuits during load shedding and unplanned outages. The system's warranty is activated on your move-in day alongside your fibre connection, and you'll receive on-site training, a mobile app for monitoring, and an installation test report sheet that documents your original configuration. As with your other warranties, tampering with the system's settings during the warranty period will void it. Full details are in our Inverter Backup System guide.
Landscaping is not only about how your garden looks; done incorrectly, it can damage your home's structure. A few rules matter most:
Beyond structural care, seasonal habits (correct mowing height, appropriate watering, mulching and frost protection in winter) keep your lawn and garden healthy year-round. Our Gardening and Landscaping guide covers all of this in full.
Home ownership often means your needs change over time, but any alteration to your home's original structure can invalidate both your NHBRC enrolment and your house insurance if you don't follow the correct process. Before starting any home modification, you'll need:
You also cannot build on a servitude (where municipal services like sewer lines or Eskom poles run), and building over a building line requires a council-approved relaxation first. Our House Alteration and Additions guide covers the full approval process.
A few habits make the first year significantly smoother if this is your first time owning a home:
Owning a home means taking on full responsibility for maintenance, repairs, insurance, municipal rates, and warranty management, all of which are usually handled by a landlord when renting. In exchange, you build equity in the property and can alter or improve it, subject to NHBRC and council approval.
The moment you sign your letter of satisfaction ("happy letter") on handover day, day-to-day home maintenance becomes your responsibility. Cosmopolitan Projects still covers certain repairs through the retention period, emergency repair warranty, and NHBRC structural warranty during the timeframes set out above.
Focus on preventative maintenance rather than waiting for problems to worsen; clean gutters regularly, address small cracks and leaks immediately, and keep an eye on your DB board and earth leakage switch. Small, early fixes are almost always cheaper than the damage that results from neglecting them, and staying on top of maintenance also protects your ability to claim on your home insurance.
You need homeowners' insurance for your property's physical structure (usually arranged through your bank if you have a bond) and separate home contents insurance for your belongings. If you have a bond, you will also typically need life cover so the bond can be settled if you pass away.
The tick sheet is completed with your handover specialist on the day you receive your keys. The retention form covers issues you notice within the first 90 days of living in the home. The NHBRC quality inspection report can be requested at any time within five years and covers latent defects linked to construction quality.
Most Cosmopolitan Projects developments are set up with prepaid electricity and, in many cases, prepaid water, as standard. This is designed to give homeowners better control over monthly spending and avoid unexpectedly high bills.
Yes. Any structural change, and in some cases changes to plumbing, electrics, the geyser, stove, or roof, can invalidate the relevant warranty, your NHBRC enrolment, and your insurance cover unless you follow the correct approval process first.
Ongoing costs generally include municipal rates and taxes, prepaid electricity (and water, where applicable), homeowners' and contents insurance premiums, and an ongoing maintenance budget. Exact amounts depend on your municipality, house value, and household usage.
Check first whether you are still within your 90-day retention window, 12-month emergency repair warranty, or 5-year NHBRC structural cover, and report it through the relevant channel (QR code, retention form, or a direct report to client care) rather than repairing it yourself, which could void your warranty.
Disclaimer: The recommendations in this guide are given in good faith to help you manage your new home. They imply no guarantee, as conditions of use and individual circumstances are beyond our control. For anything warranty- or insurance-specific, always refer to your homeowner's information pack and your individual policy documents.