Fraud. Poor screening. Arrears. Evictions. Lost returns. A rental property can look excellent on paper. But one bad tenant can quickly turn an attractive gross yield into months of lost income, legal costs and serious pressure on your investment return.
This Thursday at 12:00, REI brings together three rental-sector experts to unpack the entire tenant-risk journey, from the first application to what happens when things go seriously wrong. We'll examine:
How sophisticated tenant and identity fraud is changing.
What landlords should be checking before approving a tenant.
How technology and better screening can identify risk earlier.
When arrears become a serious warning sign.
What landlords need to know about the eviction process.
How professional rental management can protect income and returns.
IF YOU OWN RENTAL PROPERTY, DON’T MISS THIS! LIVE THIS THURSDAY | 12:00
THIS WEEK'S BIGGEST TAKEAWAY R2 BILLION. NINE RETAIL ASSETS. TWO GROWTH STRATEGIES.
Moolman Group's R2bn sale of nine retail assets to Dipula Properties is one of 2026's standout transactions. But the real investor story is what happens to the capital next.
Moolman is realising value and creating capacity for its next development cycle. Dipula is deploying capital to build greater retail scale.
They built. They held. They created value. Then they recycled R2bn into the next growth cycle.
THE INVESTOR LESSON Property wealth isn't created simply by owning assets. It's created by knowing when to buy, improve, hold and sell.
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Spring is here - and SA Property has fresh momentum
Today marks the first official day of Spring, and after another long winter there is something psychologically powerful about 1 September. The days get longer. The weather gets warmer. And there is a renewed sense of optimism about what the final four months of the year could bring.
South Africans also head into Spring buoyed by the Springboks' weekend victory – another reminder of what momentum, discipline and execution can deliver. Property investors could take something from that same mindset: Conditions change. Opportunities emerge. But execution still matters. And this week’s stories suggest capital is moving.
At the institutional end, Moolman's R2 billion disposal to Dipula demonstrates how sophisticated property investors are recycling capital rather than simply accumulating assets.
Spear REITis doing almost the reverse: deploying capital. It has securedR1.4bn in acquisitions, raised R1 billion in fresh equity and enters the second half of FY2027 with positive rental reversions, high occupancy and significant liquidity.
In residential property, affordability remains one of the defining challenges. Buyers are combining incomes through joint bonds, while some may be considering whether two-pot retirement savings could unlock a deposit. Both can create opportunity. Both carry risk.
And sellers face another underestimated danger: early occupation before transfer, where administrative delays can turn convenience into months of occupational rent, disputes and unexpected costs.
There is a common thread running through all of it: Capital is valuable. How you structure, deploy and protect it matters even more.
Whether you're buying your first apartment or deploying billions across a national portfolio: Know the numbers. Understand the risk. Protect your downside. Make capital work harder.
WHERE THE PROPERTY MARKET IS MOVING
RESIDENTIAL | Affordability is changing how buyers buyJoint bonds and alternative sources of deposit capital are gaining relevance as affordability pressures reshape first-time buying.
INVESTOR WATCH: Don't ask only whether you can buy. Ask what the debt and ownership structure will cost over time. COMMERCIAL | Capital recycling takes centre stageThe R2bn Moolman–Dipula deal shows capital moving between mature assets and the next growth opportunities.
INVESTOR WATCH: Follow where experienced property groups are reallocating capital. Their transactions reveal strategy.
LISTED PROPERTY | Spear switches into growth modeR1.4bn of acquisitions, R1bn of fresh equity, 96.37% occupancy and strong NOI growth put Spear firmly on the radar.
INVESTOR WATCH: Can its enlarged portfolio convert scale into stronger earnings and distributions? DEVELOPMENT | Industrial keeps deliveringIndustrial remains resilient, with new development capital flowing into demand-led warehousing and logistics opportunities.
INVESTOR WATCH: Watch George, Blackheath and other emerging industrial nodes where occupier demand is driving development. PROPERTY FINANCE | Buying power is being reinventedJoint bonds, co-ownership and two-pot withdrawals are expanding the financing toolkit.
INVESTOR WATCH: Today's affordability solution should not become tomorrow's financial problem.
The conversations behind the headlines. Prefer watching to reading? Go deeper with REI's latest executive interviews, Investor Talks and webinar replays - bringing property leaders, investors and specialists directly into the conversation. THIS WEEK ON REI TV INVESTOR TALKS Hear directly from the people making investment, development and property decisions.
WEBINAR REPLAYS Missed a live REI session? Catch up on the practical discussions affecting investors, landlords and property professionals.
MARKET INSIGHTS Shorter conversations unpacking the trends, risks and opportunities moving South African real estate.
MARKET SNAPSHOT 12 numbers. One picture of where SA property is heading.
Rates, inflation, house prices, rentals, listed property, the rand and development activity, see the numbers investors should be watching this week.
FINAL THOUGHTS A new season. The same investment discipline.
Spring brings optimism, but optimism alone doesn't build wealth.
This week's stories remind us that opportunity comes in many forms: a R2bn portfolio transaction, an acquisition pipeline, a first home, a shared bond or simply protecting the return on a rental property you already own. The numbers may be different. The discipline isn't.
Know what you're buying. Understand how you're financing it. Know what could go wrong. And always understand your exit before you enter.As we move into the final four months of 2026, there will be opportunities.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The advantage will belong to investors prepared to recognise them — and disciplined enough to act on the right ones”.
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