ZDFin News

Being a Trustee in a scheme is a time-consuming, often thankless job and requires hours of meetings and engagements, mostly without remuneration. Owners need to realise that administering a scheme from a trustee point of view, is much like running a business and deserves a similar level of care and...

Do we or don’t we ...is a question many sectional title schemes ask themselves when it comes to appointing an Executive Managing Agent (EMA). Michael Schaefer CEO of ZDFin, believes the question you should rather be asking is whether your scheme is being managed with the care and consideration it...

The 7 October 2016 signified a new dawn for Community Living in South Africa, with the creation of the Community Schemes Ombud, enabled by the Community Schemes Ombud Service Act 9 of 2011.  As a result, it was destined to have profound consequences for the greater industry. Major role players...

“There was little inspiration to be had from last week’s State of the Nation Address (SONA 2022), especially insofar as it relates to the residential property sector,” says Michael Schaefer CEO of specialist finance company ZDFin. “Perhaps the one positive take-out is the growing acknowledgement of the central role of...

Media Release January 2022 UTILITIES MANAGEMENT MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE Deteriorating and unstable supply of electricity from ESKOM and the unreliable delivery of services by collapsing municipalities country-wide, has exacerbated the move by consumers towards alternative, more sustainable, smart energy solutions.  Increasingly the implementation and management of suitable utility tools...

Media Release December 2021 CHALLENGING YEAR... BUT SIGNS OF RETURN TO NORMALITY EVIDENT “It’s been a tough, challenging year to be sure,” says Michael Schaefer CEO of specialist finance company ZDFin, “however, we have seen a late, but strong demand for finance over the last few months.” “The emergence of...

South African individuals, businesses and government entities can obtain cover against risks such as civil commotion, public disorder, strikes, riots and terrorism, making South Africa one of the few countries in the world that has an insurer that covers these risks at very affordable premiums. The writer has always been...

Media Release 15 August 2021 THE RAINS ARE COMING...BUT ARE YOU PREPARED? According to the Collins dictionary the saying 'it's better to be safe than sorry', advises someone ‘to take action in order to avoid possible unpleasant consequences later, even if it seems unnecessary’.  “As old-fashioned and over-used as this saying is, it still holds true today,” says ZDFin CEO...

Media Release August 2021 WOMEN IN THE PROPERTY BUSINESS...COMING OUT TOPS! The past year has been a year like no other.  The impact of the covid pandemic on the workplace and women in particular, is staggering.  A recent survey by Deloitte Global, of 400 women across nine countries, showed a...

Media Realease July 2021 Is an Executive Managing Agent the right choice for your scheme?  Do we or don’t we ...is a question many sectional title schemes ask themselves when it comes to appointing an Executive Managing Agent (EMA). Michael Schaefer CEO of ZDFin, believes the question you should rather...

Michael Schaefer and the ZDFin team have been hard at work since starting ZDFin at the height of the Covid lockdown in June 2020.  In the year since it launched, ZDFin has expanded now boasting a national footprint and simultaneously built up a growing loan book ,“and we haven’t even...

‘We’re delighted to announce that ZDFin has been appointed as executive managing agent (EMA) for a 53-unit scheme in Hyde Park, Johannesburg,” says ZDFin CEO Michael Schaefer. “Further to our business strategy, we see a glaring opportunity in the market that is crying out for skilled, dedicated and experienced management...

As the hazy days of Summer begin to disappear, homeowners around the country, particularly those in community schemes, such as bodies corporate and home owners’ associations and the like, are being reminded of the all-important matter of ‘seasonal maintenance’.  Not a popular subject of discussion, but vitally important in order...

Sectional title bodies corporate and homeowners associations are often in the middle of a snarl of maintenance issues. These throw up a host of nasty challenges that try even the most even tempered trustees, residents and residential property owners. This is often a space that is a vortex of problems...

Book your spot of this informative discussion by hitting this link (https://www.tvdmconsultants.com/webinar-registration) and filling out your details....

The economic fallout from Covid-19 has been devastating and as South Africans tighten their belts the government would do well to give as much practical relief as it can. There are a multitude of meaningful interventions that Finance minister Tito Mboweni can make when he outlines his budget in February....

The January-March 2021 issue of The Community Schemes Ombud Service’s (CSOS) digital industry publication SharedLiving, carried an article titled ‘Levy Financing Companies – Saviour or Scourge?’ While the author of the article is unknown, but identifies themselves as writing from a ‘consumers perspective’, there are glaring inaccuracies, false assertions and...

Before and after photos of Ana Capri, in Durban, where the transformation was aggressively driven by ZDFin founder Michael Schaefer and a team that included engineer Philip Nell. One of the most remarkable recent inner city renovation projects undertaken in Durban was the transformation of Ana Capri, a block of...

Specialist Property Finance Firm Finds Advantage in Adversity Entrepreneurs solve problems, which is why Michael Schaefer has been a busy man since he launched ZDFin at the height of the Covid lockdown. “The business has been phenomenally received,” says Schaefer, “mostly because it answers the dire need for specialist finance...

The economic crunch in South Africa means many schemes, bodies corporate, share-block companies and homeowners’ associations, are under intense financial pressure. Belt-tightening, especially after Covid-19, prompted specialist finance company ZDFIN to refine its levy product to help struggling schemes manage arrears. The team at ZDFin has an in-depth practical and...

Nothing quite rivals the horror of a building on fire. We look on with morbid fascination as the flames rage. Sirens wail as fire engines scream to extinguish the blaze and firefighters battle to rescue people trapped inside the building. This drama played out in a 16-storey building in downtown...

Pearl Scheltema from Fitzanne’s Property interviews Michael Schaefer, founder and CEO of ZDFin, a specialist finance company providing smart solutions for Sectional Title Schemes. Many Sectional Title Schemes are still challenged in raising adequate reserves to fund large maintenance and capital projects, which may or may not form part of their...

Recently, Michael Schaefer of ZDFin was invited by Private Property to discuss community schemes. In the episode, Michael chats about getting it right the first time....

Media Release 7 October 2020 NEW SECTIONAL TITLES SCHEMES MANAGEMENT ACT - A MIXED BLESSING FOR SA COMMUNITY SCHEMES “It’s four years since the revised and amended laws were enacted and many property owners are still coming to terms with the requirements of the legislation especially with regards to the...

Recently, Michael Schaefer of ZDFin chatted to Mirfin Valuation Services about how ZDFin's maintenance plan finance can assist a community scheme in building a stable financial profile....

Media Release August 2020 POSSIBLE AGM DELAYS COULD LEAVE BODY CORPORATES IN A FINANCIAL FIX “Property owners in bodies corporate and other residential schemes could face unexpected annual levy increases of up to 10% because of Covid-19,” cautions Michael Schaefer, CEO and founder of specialist financial finance provider ZDFin. “Many...