Clearance Certificates Page Content Key part of buying or selling property – as far as your interaction with the City is concerned – is the clearance process. As a property owner, you need to know that before you can sell your property you are legally required to get a Clearance Certificate from the municipality. The seller is responsible for making sure that all rates and services have been paid and that the municipal account is up to date before selling the property. This is also the case if a tenant has leased the property. Sectional Title owners will receive their first rates account, under the new Municipal Property Rates Act, from 1 July 2008. In the past these accounts were sent to the bodies corporate. Like other property owners, sectional title owners will, therefore, need to apply for Clearance Certificates on assessment rates when selling their properties.