FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Being a trustee means juggling paperwork, answering the same questions repeatedly, and making decisions about rules and legislation you're still learning. EstateIQ handles the heavy lifting: it turns paper forms into simple online processes, gives you instant answers about sectional title legislation and your estate's rules, and helps you respond to owners professionally and accurately. Think of it as having an experienced trustee mentor available 24/7.

Most trustees save at least 3-5 hours monthly from automated processes and instant answers. No more printing and chasing paper forms, no more researching rules for the same questions, no more long email chains. Simple tasks like pet approvals or contractor access become one-click processes. Even saving just 1 hour per month pays for the service completely.

Not at all. Your managing agent handles finances, maintenance contracts, and portfolio management. EstateIQ handles the day-to-day governance tasks that managing agents often can't help with: answering rule questions, processing applications, and supporting decision-making. Many trustees find this actually improves their relationship with their managing agent by reducing the administrative burden on both sides. View our complete solutions.

If you can send a WhatsApp message, you'll have no trouble with the EstateIQ AI Team. The assistants run inside the familiar ChatGPT interface, so asking a question feels exactly like sending a message. EstateIQ EMS is designed with the end user in mind, keeping navigation and workflows simple and straightforward. Both products are set up for you, and full support is available throughout.

The EstateIQ AI Team includes a 14-day free trial so you can experience the value before committing. EstateIQ EMS is available for a guided demo. Both subscriptions can be cancelled at any time in accordance with our Terms of Use. There are no long-term contracts. Please note that setup fees apply for the initial customisation of your estate.

Both the EstateIQ AI Team and EstateIQ EMS require up to 72 business hours for estate setup and configuration. Once live, you'll have immediate access to your tools and you'll likely see time savings from your very first session.

Full human support throughout: we handle all the technical setup, provide guidance on getting the most value, and are available whenever you need assistance. You're not just buying software. You're getting a partner committed to making estate management easier for you.

EstateIQ AI Team is available now at R99 per month for your estate, giving your entire trustee team 24/7 access to three AI assistants trained on South African sectional title legislation. EstateIQ EMS launches soon at R499 per month, covering full governance and compliance management with the AI Team included. Both products cost less than one hour of professional consultation. Sectional title specialists typically charge R1,500 to R3,000 per hour. Even if EstateIQ saves you just one hour monthly, it pays for itself many times over. View our solutions for full details.

EstateIQ focuses on governance and communication rather than financial management. For levy collections and arrears, you'll still need your managing agent or financial services provider. However, EstateIQ can help with governance aspects like explaining levy policies to owners and assisting with the legal processes around arrears.

All data stored in EstateIQ EMS belongs to the scheme. On cancellation, a full backup will be compiled and sent to the relevant appointed person. For the EstateIQ AI Team, all historical chats and AI-generated documents remain in your ChatGPT account and are yours to retain. In both cases, your estate's information is never shared with other clients and is handled in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

Yes. EstateIQ is designed for shared trustee access, with multiple trustees using the same estate account. This ensures consistent information and decision-making across your entire trustee team.

Absolutely. EstateIQ knows all the South African sectional title legislation (like the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act and Community Schemes Ombud Service Act) and can explain them in plain English. It also learns your specific estate rules and can answer questions like "Can someone install a braai on their balcony?" or "What's the process for subletting?" - giving you the exact rule reference and practical steps.

EstateIQ is built around current South African sectional title legislation and can quote directly from the legislation. It's specific, accurate information that would normally require expensive legal consultation. The system is updated regularly to reflect any changes in legislation.

The assistant handles typical trustee challenges: interpreting your scheme's rules, explaining legal requirements, helping draft notices for meetings, guiding you through complaints processes, and answering owners' questions about pets, alterations, subletting, parking, and conduct rules. It's like having an experienced sectional title consultant on call.

Each estate gets personalised assistants that are set up with your specific scheme rules, property layout, and common issues. This means when someone asks about your pet policy or parking rules, the assistant gives answers specific to your estate, not generic responses.

Yes, completely. Each estate has its own private setup. Nothing is shared between different estates. You control what information the assistant knows, and EstateIQ never uses your data for other clients. Your estate's information stays with your estate only.

ChatGPT is the world's most widely used AI assistant, created by OpenAI. The ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20 per month, approximately R350 per month) gives you access to the most capable version, which can understand complex documents, reason through problems, and communicate naturally. This is the technology that powers EstateIQ's AI Assistants, and it's what makes them genuinely helpful rather than just another basic chatbot. EstateIQ recommends a single ChatGPT Plus subscription that all trustees can share, keeping costs low for the whole estate.

Yes, within the boundaries of how the AI works. During setup, each assistant is configured with your estate's specific information: your code of conduct, aesthetic policies, property details, contact numbers, and any other documentation you provide. This becomes its persistent knowledge base. Note that Custom GPTs do not carry memory between separate chat sessions. Context from a previous conversation is not automatically available in a new one. However, your full chat history remains accessible in your ChatGPT account, so nothing is lost.

EstateIQ's AI Assistants are trained on South African sectional title legislation (STSMA and CSOSA), making them most effective for sectional title body corporates and their trustees. For retirement villages and gated communities operating as homeowners associations, EstateIQ EMS will handle governance and compliance management. Note that AI legislative guidance is currently sectional title focused. HOA-specific legislative coverage is planned for a future update. Custom solutions are available on request. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

EstateIQ EMS is a complete governance and compliance management system built for South African community schemes, including sectional title body corporates and homeowners associations. It provides a centralised database across 15 modules covering document management, owner records, task management, forms processing and role-based authentication. Every action is audit-logged and retained for compliance with STSMA, POPIA, FICA and CSOS requirements.

The AI Assistants answer questions. EMS manages your scheme. EMS is a structured database and workflow system that stores your scheme's records, processes owner requests, manages trustee tasks and generates compliance documents. The AI Assistants provide instant answers on sectional title legislation and scheme rules in plain English. They are complementary tools, and at launch, the AI Team is included in the EMS subscription at no additional cost.

EMS is built for any South African community scheme, including both sectional title body corporates and homeowners associations. The system manages governance and compliance records regardless of scheme type. Note that the AI Assistants are currently trained on sectional title legislation only. HOA-specific legislative guidance is planned for a future update.

EMS is currently in development and launching soon. You can join the waitlist to be notified when it goes live and to secure early access. Waitlist members will be among the first to onboard and will receive priority support during setup. Join the waitlist.

The R499 per month subscription covers a single estate and includes all 15 EMS modules and the full EstateIQ AI Team (ELA, ELL and EVA). There are no per-user fees or per-door costs. The price is per estate, not per trustee or per unit.

No. EMS is a governance and compliance management system, not a financial management platform. Your managing agent handles levy collection, arrears management, financial reporting and maintenance contracts. EMS handles the governance layer: document management, owner records, trustee task management, forms processing and compliance tracking. Many trustees find that EMS improves their working relationship with their managing agent by giving both parties a clear, auditable record of governance decisions and owner interactions.

Yes. When EMS launches, the full EstateIQ AI Team (ELA, ELL and EVA) is included in the R499 per month subscription at no additional cost. If you are currently subscribed to the AI Team as a standalone product at R99 per month, your subscription will be updated if you/the estate migrates to EMS.