Chapter 29:15 URBAN COUNCILS ACT 177 Council may render services A council may, by agreement with the owner or occupier of any premises— (a) undertake to render any services in connection with the sanitation of the premises concerned; or (b) undertake any maintenance referred to in section one hundred and seventy-six. 178 Council may finance water-borne sanitation and sanitary fittings A council may, at the request of the owner of any premises, assist him in providing waterborne sanitation and sanitary fittings for the premises— (a) by having the employees of the council execute the necessary work at the expense of that owner; or (b) by paying a contractor engaged by that owner, after completion of the work to the satisfaction of the council and recover the costs thereof from the owner; or (c) by lending to that owner the amount of any expenses incurred or to be incurred in providing his premises with water-borne sanitation and sanitary fittings. 179 Recovery of costs by instalments (1) A council may agree to accept— (a) payment of any expenses incurred by it in terms of section one hundred and seventythree, one hundred and seventy-five or one hundred and seventy-eight on behalf of the owner or occupier of any premises; or (b) repayment of any loan made in terms of paragraph (c) of section one hundred and seventy-eight; by such instalments over such period and under such conditions as may appear to the council to be reasonable, together with interest on the amounts outstanding from time to time at such rate as may be fixed by the council, being a rate which is not more than one per centum per annum above the rate of interest charged at the time the council incurred the expenses or made the advance, as the case may be, by the State in respect of loans made to local authorities: Provided that, if at any time during that period the owner or occupier wishes to make a payment in full settlement of the expenses or full repayment of the loan, he may pay the full amount of the outstanding expenses or balance of the loan for which he is liable, together with any interest charges which are due as at the date of such payment. (2) The council shall keep at its offices a register of all expenses incurred by it in connection with any work for which any person is liable in terms of this Part and shall show in that register in respect of each such person— (a) the total amount of expenses incurred; and (b) the instalments in which the amount is payable; and (c) the land or premises in respect of which the expenses have been incurred; and (d) the balance for the time being outstanding. (3) The register kept in terms of subsection (2) shall be open to inspection during office hours by any person on whose behalf expenses referred to in subsection (1) have been incurred or to whom a loan referred to in subsection (1) has been made. (4) The register kept in terms of subsection (2) or any extract therefrom purporting to be certified by the town clerk, treasurer or other person authorized by the council shall, in all proceedings for the recovery of such expenses or loan or interest thereon or any instalment thereof, be prima facie evidence of the matters contained therein. (5) If an owner referred to in subsection (1) fails to provide the council with security to its satisfaction for the repayment of any expenses or loan referred to in subsection (1), the council may cause a notice in writing to be lodged with the Registrar of Deeds specifying the amount of the expenses or loan, as the case may be, and subsections (2) and (3) of section one hundred and sixty-six shall thereafter apply, mutatis mutandis. (6) For the purposes of this section, expenses referred to in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) include indirect costs in connection with the work concerned to the extent that the indirect costs do not exceed ten per centum of the total costs of the work. 62