Every architectural professional must be registered with SACAP in a specific category — Professional Architect, Senior Architectural Technologist, Architectural Technologist or Draughtsperson. The category sets what scale of work they may legally sign off.

• Ask for the SACAP registration number and confirm it on the SACAP register before you pay a deposit.
• Match the category to your project: a Draughtsperson may not sign off a double-storey design.
• Fees should follow the SACAP guideline tariff, quoted as a percentage of construction cost or a fixed stage fee.
• Insist on a written client–architect agreement covering the six work stages before any drawing starts.