Before You Demolish: The Owner's Checklist
Most demolition delays are caused by items the owner controls rather than by the contractor or the City. Service disconnections, tenant notice and insurer notification all run on third-party timelines, and all three are commonly started far too late. This checklist covers what to do, in the order it should happen.
Free site visit and written quote anywhere in greater Cape Town.
Start immediately — these run on other people's schedules
| Item | Who does it | Why it is first |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage age check | Owner and contractor | Determines whether a Section 34 permit applies at all |
| Electricity disconnection | Supply authority | Scheduled by them, not by you |
| Water disconnection and meter removal | City of Cape Town | Scheduled by them |
| Sewer capping | City of Cape Town | Must be capped, not merely cut |
| Tenant notice | Owner | Statutory and lease periods apply |
| Insurer notification | Owner | Cover changes when a structure is demolished |
A live electrical supply in a structure being demolished is the most dangerous condition on any demolition site. Disconnection is evidenced in writing before work starts. A supply that has been switched off at the board has not been disconnected.
Decide what you are keeping
Anything to be retained is identified before the soft strip, because once material is in the skip it is gone. The items owners most often regret losing are period doors and shutters, sash windows, ironmongery, cast-iron fireplaces, Oregon pine flooring, roof sheeting, garden pots and paving. Decide, mark it, and it comes out intact. See reclaimed building materials.
The full checklist
- Establish the build date and whether Section 34 applies
- Request electricity, water and sewer disconnection, and keep written proof
- Give tenants proper notice under the lease and the law
- Notify your insurer, and confirm cover during and after demolition
- Notify the body corporate or HOA and confirm their rules and deposits
- Agree the party wall standard in writing with any adjoining owner
- Photograph neighbouring structures and the access route, dated
- Mark everything you are keeping, before the soft strip
- Remove valuables, documents and anything sentimental from the building
- Move pets off the property for the duration, and check for nesting wildlife
- Cancel or redirect refuse collection, post and deliveries
- Confirm parking and skip placement with the neighbours
- Check whether any alarm, fibre or DStv installation needs formal cancellation
The ones people forget
Fibre and alarm contracts continue billing against a building that no longer exists, and cancelling them afterwards is harder than cancelling them before. Municipal accounts for water and refuse keep running against the property. Wildlife matters in Cape Town specifically: swifts, swallows and bats nest in roof spaces, and an occupied nest changes when the roof can be stripped.
Tenants
A tenanted property cannot be demolished around the tenancy. Demolition requires vacant possession, and getting there is a legal process with its own timeline that sits entirely ahead of the demolition programme.
- The lease governs first. Notice periods, break clauses and any demolition clause in the agreement.
- Statutory protection sits on top of the lease. Residential tenants have protections that a notice period alone does not override, and a tenant who does not leave cannot simply be removed.
- Never start work to force the issue. Disconnecting services or beginning a strip-out while a residential tenant is in occupation is unlawful regardless of the notice position.
Where the position is contested, it is a matter for an attorney rather than for a demolition contractor, and the programme waits on it. Building a demolition schedule around an assumption that a tenant will leave on the notice date is a common and expensive error.
Insurance: what changes the day the structure goes
An insured building that no longer exists is an insured risk that has changed fundamentally, and an unnotified demolition can void cover on both the structure and the site. Four conversations happen with the insurer before work starts.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is cover maintained during the works? | The site still carries liability toward the public and neighbours |
| What happens to structure cover? | Premiums on a demolished building are money spent on nothing |
| Is the vacant site covered? | Vacant land carries different terms to an occupied property |
| Does the contractor's liability cover suffice? | Ask for the schedule, not a summary |
See demolition insurance and liability for what to verify on the contractor's side.
Clearing the building properly
A building being demolished contains more that matters than people expect, and the soft strip is not the moment to discover it. Work through the property room by room before the crew arrives.
- Documents. Title deeds, approved plans, guarantees, service records — frequently in a roof space or a garage cupboard.
- Anything sentimental or irreplaceable. Once it is in a skip it is gone.
- Valuables and metals. Copper cylinders, brass fittings and lead flashings walk off unsecured demolition sites.
- Appliances and geysers. Worth removing intact if they are being reused.
- The garden. Pots, established plants worth lifting, garden lighting, irrigation controllers, and anything the machine route will destroy.
- Meters and keys. Final readings recorded, keys accounted for.
Pets and wildlife
Pets move off the property for the duration rather than being shut in a room, because a demolition site has open access, machinery movement and unfamiliar noise. Cats in particular return to a demolished house and need to be relocated properly rather than simply kept indoors on the day.
Wildlife is a specifically Cape Town consideration. Roof spaces here host swifts, swallows and bats, and honeybee colonies establish inside cavity walls and chimneys with some regularity. Bats are protected, and an active bat roost requires specialist advice before the roof is opened. A bee colony needs a removal specialist rather than a demolition crew — disturbing one mid-demolition puts the whole site at risk. Both are checked during the site survey.
The week before
Confirm the disconnections have actually happened rather than merely been requested. Move the pets. Take the final meter readings. Walk the property once more for anything missed, particularly in the roof space and the garage. Tell the neighbours the start date. Park vehicles away from the haul route.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to do before demolition starts?
Establish the build date for the heritage check, request electricity, water and sewer disconnection in writing, give tenants proper notice, notify your insurer, agree any party wall standard in writing, photograph neighbouring structures, and mark everything you intend to keep before the soft strip begins.
Who disconnects the electricity before demolition?
The supply authority disconnects and removes the connection, and it is scheduled on their timeline rather than yours. Switching a supply off at the distribution board is not disconnection. Written proof of disconnection forms part of the permit file, and a live supply in a structure being demolished is the most dangerous condition on any site.
Do I need to tell my insurer about a demolition?
Yes. Cover on a property changes materially when a structure is demolished, and an unnotified demolition can void cover on both the structure and the site. Notification also matters for liability toward neighbouring property during the works.
Can I keep materials from the building?
Yes, where they are identified before the soft strip. Period doors, shutters, sash windows, ironmongery, cast-iron fireplaces, Oregon pine flooring and roof sheeting are the items owners most often want back. Mark them at the site visit and they come out intact rather than into the skip.
What about birds or bats nesting in the roof?
Roof spaces in Cape Town commonly host swifts, swallows and bats, and an occupied nest changes when the roof can be stripped. The roof space is checked during the site survey. Bats in particular are protected, and their presence requires specialist advice before the roof is opened.