The time has come again for the City of Johannesburg to update property values.
Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba previously revealed that in the last property valuation process the City had to file over 60 000 objections against its own service provider. To help improve the billing system, he said, the property valuation process is one of the elements that should be improved as well.
Every four years, a valuation of properties is compiled for a new valuation roll on all the rateable properties which will be implemented on 1 July next year.
Group finance spokesperson, Kgamanyane Maphologela, said the City has appointed an independent company for the general valuation of all registered properties. He said it was in accordance with the Municipal Property Rates Act, which sets out best practice for valuing properties.
Once a property is valued and the valuation approved, the monthly rates and taxes charged to it will be affected.
“Municipal property rates is a legislative requirement that requires the City to adopt an annual rates policy,” Maphologela said.
“This includes governing the property rating process and defining the different categories of property as well as specific categories of property ownership that may qualify for rates rebates and exemptions. For this legislative requirement to be fulfilled, properties need to be rated. The levying of property rates process starts with the valuation process.”
The general valuation roll should also be updated annually. This is done, Maphologela said, through a supplementary valuation process.
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