Project Finance

With the 1st of September marking meteorological Spring, a lot of us will be eagerly awaiting the warmer weather to come, but with this, come the annul rains in most parts of the country. At this stage in the year, we can only hope that most schemes have their AGM’s...

Hosted by TVDM Consultants on 11 May 2023. Are you aware of the different financial options available for your scheme?...

“We’re incredibly pleased to have had solid growth in 2022 and ended on a stronger note than at the start of the year,” says ZDFin CEO, Michael Schaefer. “Celebrating two years in a new business that has been so impacted by the challenging economy and many of the infrastructural issues...

“Tax season, AGM’s and seasonal maintenance are the triad of annual requirements that keep Bodies Corporate and other Community Schemes on track and ‘financially healthy’, year in and year out,” says Michael Schaefer, CEO of specialist finance company ZDFin. “There’s no doubt that the more organised a scheme is, the...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Media Release August 2020 SPECIALIST RESIDENTIAL FINANCE COMPANY LAUNCHED It is a massive market in South Africa and it is ridiculously underserviced, but it is also highly complicated. It is the business of bodies corporate and community schemes and Michael Schaefer has just launched ZDFin, a specialist property finance business,...

Recently, Michael Schaefer of ZDFin was invited by Private Property to discuss community schemes and how to avoid surprises. In the episode, Michael uncovered all the nitty-gritty's about community schemes and the expectations from both sides. Watch the full episode below....

THE 7 OCTOBER 2020 WILL MARK THE FOUR-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE GAZETTING, PUBLISHING AND SO EFFECTIVE DATE OF BOTH THE COMMUNITY SCHEMES OMBUD SERVICE ACT (ACT 9 OF 2011) AND THE SECTIONAL TITLE.  Schemes Management Act, no. 8 of 2011; maintenance oversight per (now) legislative direction linked to financial management...