CSOS compliance software
for South African community schemes.
Capture the CSOS registration number, track CSOS levy obligations, manage dispute references, keep governance documents current and run a per-scheme compliance planner aligned to the STSMA — on the same Regalis instance that runs your levy roll and your rentals. Informational only, not legal advice.
- CSOS registration capture
- CSOS levy obligations
- Dispute reference tracking
- STSMA-aligned
CSOS registration number recorded for each scheme — alongside the scheme type and the financial-year start.
AGM, CSOS levy submission, annual financial statements and reserve-fund items added automatically at year-end rollover.
Administrative fund and reserve fund kept on separate accounts to support STSMA section 3(1)(b) and audit preparation.
CSOS is registration, a levy, document custody and dispute resolution — and a scheme has to keep each one current.
The Community Schemes Ombud Service Act, 9 of 2011 established CSOS as the body that oversees South African community schemes. In practice this means four recurring obligations for the people who run a scheme: the scheme must be registered with CSOS and carry a CSOS registration number; it must submit and pay the CSOS levy; it must lodge and keep its governance documentation current; and when an owner or trustee dispute arises, it goes through the CSOS dispute-resolution process with a reference number that has to be tracked to conclusion.
Alongside CSOS sits the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act (STSMA, 8 of 2011), which governs how a sectional title scheme is run — including the requirement under section 3(1)(b) that a body corporate maintain both an administrative fund and a reserve fund. CSOS and the STSMA are layered: a body corporate is governed by the STSMA and overseen by CSOS at the same time. The compliance work is continuous, not a once-a-year event.
Regalis is built so that none of those four obligations lives in a spreadsheet. The CSOS registration number is a field on the scheme record; the CSOS levy is a recurring compliance item the planner adds for you; governance documents are stored with retention controls; and a dispute reference attaches to the same property that holds the communications, payments and approvals an adjudicator may ask to see. Informational only — this is not legal advice, and your registered managing agent or attorney remains the authority on your scheme's specific obligations.
What CSOS compliance costs when it lives in spreadsheets
- CSOS registration numbers scattered across a folder of PDFs and a shared spreadsheet — no single record that travels with the scheme.
- The annual CSOS levy submission is easy to miss because it is a separate obligation from the scheme's own levy roll, and nothing prompts it.
- When a dispute is lodged at the Community Schemes Ombud, the reference number, status and supporting documents live in email, not on the scheme record.
- Governance documents — constitution, conduct rules, management rules, AGM minutes — drift out of date, and nobody is sure which version is current.
- There is no single board showing what compliance is outstanding across every scheme the firm manages.
- At audit or AGM time the evidence pack is rebuilt by hand from email threads and bank statements.
What a structured CSOS posture gives you
- The CSOS registration number is a dedicated field on the scheme — captured once, shown everywhere.
- The CSOS levy submission is added as a recurring compliance item at the start of each financial year, so it cannot quietly slip.
- Dispute references attach to the property with status and documents, beside the communications and payments that form the evidence.
- Governance documents are stored with retention controls — the current version is linked and the history is preserved.
- The compliance planner gives you one view of outstanding items across every scheme in the book.
- The evidence pack — notices, payments, approvals, communications — is already on one operating record, one click away.
From registration capture to a clean dispute trail.
Capture CSOS registration on the scheme
Set the property up as a scheme and record the CSOS registration number alongside the scheme type and the financial-year start date. The registration stays with the scheme record and appears on the compliance view and reports.
- CSOS registration number as a dedicated field
- Scheme type — HOA, body corporate, sectional title, share block
- Per-scheme financial-year start date
Link the governance documents
Attach the constitution or rules, conduct rules and management rules, AGM minutes, the approved budget and annual financial statements, stored with retention controls. The current version is always linked; older versions are preserved to help you prepare for an audit or a CSOS request.
- Constitution / conduct rules / management rules
- AGM minutes and annual financial statements
- Retention controls with version history
Run the compliance planner each year
At the start of each financial year the planner creates the per-scheme compliance items — AGM scheduling, CSOS levy submission, annual financial statements and reserve-fund top-up. Each item has a due window, an owner, documents and an audit trail.
- CSOS levy submission created automatically
- AGM + AFS + reserve-fund items
- Per-item documents and audit trail
Track dispute references to conclusion
When a matter is lodged at the Community Schemes Ombud, attach the dispute reference number, status and documents to the property. The evidence pack — communications, payments, notices and approvals — is already on the same record, ready for an adjudicator.
- Dispute reference + status on the property
- Linked supporting documents
- Evidence pack already assembled
The CSOS and STSMA obligations, made into fields, items and trails.
Each capability below is part of the scheme-mode platform — the same record that runs the levy roll and, where a scheme unit is rented out, the lease. CSOS compliance is not a bolt-on; it is the compliance tab on the scheme.
CSOS registration capture
The CSOS registration number is a dedicated field on the scheme, captured with the scheme type and financial-year start date, and shown on the compliance view.
CSOS levy obligations
The CSOS levy submission is added as a recurring compliance item at the start of each financial year — a separate obligation from the scheme's own levy roll, shown so it is not missed.
Dispute reference tracking
Lodge a dispute reference number, its status and related documents against the scheme. The communications, payments and approvals that form the evidence pack are already on the same record.
Governance document custody
Constitution, conduct rules, management rules, AGM minutes, budget and annual financial statements are stored with retention controls and a preserved version history.
Per-scheme compliance planner
AGM scheduling, CSOS levy submission, annual financial statements and reserve-fund top-up added each year — each with a due window, owner, documents and audit trail.
Reserve fund segregation
STSMA section 3(1)(b) requires an administrative fund and a reserve fund. Reserve-fund accounts are kept separate in the chart of accounts, with their own dedicated reserve trust account.
Trustee multi-sig approvals
Configurable N-of-M trustee approvals per scheme for supplier payments and governance actions, with each decision captured alongside reasons and supporting documents.
Conduct rule offences
Warning to penalty to fine escalation chains with category configuration per scheme, so rule enforcement is recorded with a clear trail to help you prepare your case if a dispute reaches CSOS.
AGM evidence and minutes
AGM minutes attach to the scheme as retention-aware documents, and the AGM scheduling item sits in the compliance planner — see the AGM & meetings solution for the full voting workflow.
Levy clearance on transfer
On a transfer, the outstanding-amount gate and the levy clearance certificate PDF keep the ownership change clean — part of the same scheme record as the CSOS compliance items.
Annual financial statements
The unified ledger produces trial balance, general ledger and actual-vs-budget straight from the chart of accounts — the figures an AGM and a CSOS request both expect.
PAIA manual reflects 2021 transfer
The published PAIA manual reflects that PAIA oversight moved to the Information Regulator on 30 June 2021. Distinct from POPIA — see the POPIA & PAIA compliance solution.
CSOS Act, STSMA, the Sectional Titles Act — what each one asks of a scheme.
The Community Schemes Ombud Service Act (9 of 2011) establishes CSOS as the registration, levy-collection, document-custody and dispute-resolution body for community schemes. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act (STSMA, 8 of 2011) governs how a sectional title scheme is run day to day — its prescribed management and conduct rules, its meetings and resolutions, and the section 3(1)(b) requirement to maintain both an administrative fund and a reserve fund. The Sectional Titles Act of 1986 governs the title-deed and participation-quota side at the Deeds Office.
Regalis lines up to each of those. CSOS registration is a field, not a note. The CSOS levy is a recurring compliance item the planner adds for you. Reserve fund segregation under STSMA section 3(1)(b) is built into the chart of accounts, keeping the administrative fund and reserve fund on separate accounts. Governance documents are kept with retention controls. And the dispute reference — the part of CSOS work that most often lives in email — attaches to the same scheme record that already holds the evidence an adjudicator may request.
A note on scope: this page explains public statutory concepts so a managing agent can see how the platform maps to them. It is informational only and not legal advice. Your specific CSOS and STSMA obligations depend on your scheme type, your rules and your registration — confirm them with your registered managing agent or attorney. For the data-protection regime, which is separate, see the POPIA & PAIA compliance solution.
Continue exploring how Regalis handles the rest of the rental operation.
Community schemes management
The full HOA, body corporate, sectional title and share block platform — levy roll, trustee multi-sig, transfers and the integrated rental book.
Read moreSectional title & body corporate
STSMA-aligned reserve fund segregation, participation quotas, body corporate levies, trustee multi-sig and the 10-year maintenance plan.
Read moreBody corporate management
Body-corporate-specific workflows: STSMA funds, trustee governance, conduct rule offences, AGMs and CSOS obligations.
Read morePOPIA & PAIA compliance
The separate data-protection regime: consent ledger, registered Information Officer, retention sweep, subject access exports and the published PAIA manual.
Read moreCommunity scheme management
A wider look at how Regalis runs community schemes end to end — registration, levies, governance and disputes on one platform.
Read moreLevy collection
Structured levy arrears recovery with a CSOS-grade evidence trail behind every step.
Read moreCommon questions about CSOS compliance.
What is the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS)?+
The Community Schemes Ombud Service is the statutory body established under the Community Schemes Ombud Service Act, 9 of 2011. It registers community schemes — body corporates, HOAs, sectional title and share block schemes — collects a CSOS levy, takes custody of scheme governance documentation, and resolves disputes through its dispute-resolution process. Most South African community schemes have a duty to register with CSOS and to lodge their rules. This page is informational only — not legal advice.
How does Regalis capture the CSOS registration number?+
The CSOS registration number is a dedicated field on every scheme. When you set a property up as a scheme (HOA, body corporate, sectional title or share block) you record the CSOS registration number alongside the scheme type and the financial-year start date. That registration stays with the scheme record, so it appears on the compliance view, on reports and wherever the scheme is referenced.
Does Regalis track CSOS levy obligations?+
Yes. The CSOS levy obligation appears in the per-scheme compliance planner. CSOS levies are a separate statutory obligation from the scheme's own administrative and reserve fund levies, and the planner adds the CSOS levy submission as a recurring compliance item at the start of each financial year so it is hard to miss. Each item carries its own documents and audit trail.
How are CSOS dispute references tracked?+
When a matter is lodged at the Community Schemes Ombud, the dispute reference number, its status and the related documents attach to the property. The communications, payments, notices and approvals that make up the evidence pack are already on the same operating record, so when CSOS or an adjudicator asks for the history it is one place, not a spreadsheet rebuild.
What governance documents does CSOS expect a scheme to keep?+
A community scheme typically maintains its constitution or rules, conduct rules and management rules, AGM minutes, the approved budget and annual financial statements, and (for sectional title) the 10-year maintenance plan. Regalis attaches these to the scheme property as retention-aware documents, so the current version is always linked and the document history is preserved for an audit or a CSOS request.
How does the CSOS compliance planner work?+
At the start of each financial year the planner creates a set of per-scheme compliance items — AGM scheduling, CSOS levy submission, annual financial statements, reserve fund top-up and related obligations. Each item has a due window, an owner, supporting documents and an audit trail. The planner gives the managing agent one view of what is outstanding across every scheme in the book.
How is CSOS compliance different from POPIA compliance?+
They are distinct regimes. CSOS sits under the Community Schemes Ombud Service Act and the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act and governs how a community scheme is registered, levied, governed and how its disputes are resolved. POPIA governs the protection of personal information across the whole platform. Regalis covers both, but on separate surfaces — see the POPIA & PAIA compliance page for the data-protection side.
Does the platform reflect the 2021 transfer of PAIA oversight?+
Yes. The published PAIA manual reflects that, since 30 June 2021, PAIA oversight sits with the Information Regulator rather than the South African Human Rights Commission. CSOS remains the oversight body for community-scheme governance and disputes. This is informational and not a substitute for advice from your attorney or your registered managing agent.
See everything built for you — explore the estates hub
Registration, levies, documents, disputes.
One compliance tab per scheme.
Walk through the CSOS registration capture, the compliance planner, the governance-document custody and the dispute-reference trail with someone from the team. Informational only — not legal advice.