If you would like to run a business from home or to buy a residential property specifically to convert it into business premises – or indeed on the other side of the coin if you want to object to a new business opening up in your leafy suburb – you should be aware of a recent High Court decision in which a small 8 am – 4.30 pm office was ordered to stop operating in a residential area. 

The Court addressed questions such as “Who can apply for an interdict?”, “Does a pending rezoning application make any difference?”, “Must the business be causing a nuisance?”, “What difference does it make that the suburb’s residential character is already changing?” and “What if other property owners are also breaking the law by operating under the radar and getting away with it?”