Who this review is for
This engagement is designed for property owners, development managers, town planners, architects and finance teams managing an active or recently concluded South African development permit application. It is especially useful when a portal balance conflicts with internal records, a receipt appears against the wrong reference, or several consultants have paid charges at different stages.
The result
You receive a signed audit memorandum, a transaction reconciliation, an indexed evidence schedule and an exception register. Each exception states the amount, source record, reason it remains unresolved and the practical question to put to the municipality or responsible party.
Records we examine
- municipal invoices, assessment notices and published fee schedules;
- EFT confirmations, receipts and payment references;
- application acknowledgements, resubmission notices and portal extracts;
- consultant disbursement schedules and relevant ledger entries;
- correspondence that changes, reverses or reallocates a charge.
We do not determine whether planning approval should be granted, provide legal opinions, represent clients in municipal disputes or certify municipal records as authentic.
How the engagement proceeds
1. Scope confirmation
During a 20-minute call we identify the authority, application type, date range, known discrepancy and number of payment sources. A written scope and document list follows.
2. Evidence intake
Records are supplied in their original format where possible. We create a controlled index and identify obvious gaps before detailed testing begins. Please redact unrelated bank transactions and personal identity numbers.
3. Reconciliation and testing
Charges are traced to their schedule basis and application milestone. Payments are matched by date, amount, beneficiary and reference. Duplicates, short payments, unexplained adjustments and unallocated receipts are recorded separately.
4. Factual check and final report
You can correct factual misunderstandings in a draft exception register. The final memorandum is normally issued within 7–12 business days after a complete record set is received.
Preparation and constraints
Nominate one contact person and provide the application reference, authority name and chronology. Scanned records must be legible. Our conclusion is limited by the evidence supplied and by municipal information available to the applicant; it is not an assurance engagement over the municipality itself.
Fee and next step
Fees start at R18,500 excluding VAT for one application, one authority and up to 35 payment records. Complex histories, multiple properties or urgent factual deadlines are quoted separately. Describe the application and we will confirm whether this audit is proportionate.