Refund Policy

1. How this works

Every application or appeal starts with a free feasibility check by the assigned SACPLAN-registered planner. No payment is required for this step.

• If the proposal is not feasible, nothing is charged and there is nothing to refund.
• If it is feasible and you choose to proceed, there are two payments: a deposit equal to the planner's fee, paid to the planner immediately so work can start without delay, and the balance of the Landlodz service fee, payable only if you decide to proceed to lodgement.

The municipal application fee is separate from both payments. You pay it directly to the municipality at lodgement. It never passes through Landlodz and is entirely outside this policy; the municipality's own land use by-law governs any refund of that fee.

2. The deposit is non-refundable

Statutory cooling-off rights and service-failure remedies in sections 6 and 7 remain applicable where the law provides them.

3. Deciding whether to proceed to lodgement

After intake and drafting are complete and you have reviewed the pack, the choice is yours:

• Proceed: pay the balance of the Landlodz service fee; the application is lodged, and you pay the municipal fee directly to the municipality.
• Do not proceed: pay nothing further. No refund of the deposit is due. There is no deadline to decide - your file stays open until you are ready or ask us to close it.

4. Once lodged

5. Appeals (R5 160)

Appeals follow the same structure. A free feasibility check of the appeal's merits comes first. If the planner confirms that an appeal is worth pursuing and you decide to proceed, the deposit funds the planner's work. The balance is payable only if you choose to proceed to lodgement of the appeal. Once lodged, the balance is not refundable regardless of the appeal outcome, subject to sections 6 and 7. A successful appeal does not entitle you to a refund of the original application price.

6. Statutory cooling-off

Where section 44 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 applies - where the transaction resulted from Landlodz directly approaching you in person, by mail, phone, SMS or unsolicited electronic communication, rather than you seeking us out - you have 5 business days to cancel for a full refund, provided substantive work has not begun. The equivalent right in section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 applies in the same way where applicable. General advertising, including our website, search results and online ads that you choose to respond to, is not direct marketing for this purpose. Where you sought out our service yourself (the ordinary case), this section does not apply.

7. Service-failure remedy

If any of the following happens due to Landlodz's error, you can choose correction or request a refund:

• The municipality rejects the application solely because Landlodz omitted a mandatory document or signature on the SPLUMA verification checklist (sections 39 - 42 of SPLUMA read with the relevant municipal land use by-law).
• Landlodz lodged against the wrong property, in the wrong municipality, or under the wrong application type.
• The assigned planner was not registered with the South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) at sign-off.
• Personal information was disclosed in breach of our Privacy Policy and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

Our first step is to offer to correct the error and relodge at no additional charge. If you prefer a refund instead, you may request one under section 54 of the Consumer Protection Act. We will refund a reasonable portion of what you paid, having regard to work already properly performed. You choose which remedy you want when you raise the issue; that statutory choice is yours, not Landlodz's.

8. What is not refundable

• The deposit once paid to the planner, as described in section 2.
• The balance once the application or appeal is lodged.
• An unfavourable municipal decision - the service is to prepare and lodge a SPLUMA-compliant pack, not to guarantee approval.
• Optional add-ons already delivered.
• Bank charges, currency conversion or cross-border fees your bank will not reverse.

Section 7 remains an exception where the failure was Landlodz's error. Statutory cooling-off rights in section 6 also remain applicable where the law provides them.

9. How to request a refund or correction

1. Email consult@landlodz.com or your assigned planner from the email address used for your booking, quoting the property address and application type.
2. State the reason. If the issue is a service failure, tell us whether you prefer correction or a refund.
3. We acknowledge your request within 1 business day and confirm the outcome within 5 business days.
4. Approved refunds are paid by EFT back to the originating bank account only, not to a third-party account.

10. Refund processing times

• EFT refund: released within 1-2 business days of receiving your banking details in writing.
• Clearance into your account: typically 1-3 business days, depending on your bank.

11. Disputes & escalation

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, escalate in writing to consult@landlodz.com. Unresolved disputes can be referred to your bank (for payment or clearing issues), the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the National Consumer Tribunal under the CPA, the relevant Municipal Planning Tribunal under section 35 of SPLUMA for land use decisions, or the competent courts of the Republic of South Africa.

12. Payment disputes

Please contact Landlodz before disputing a payment with your bank. If a dispute is raised, Landlodz will provide the bank with the full audit trail, including intake responses, planner sign-offs, lodgement confirmation and communications.