A few years ago many property owners were flabbergasted when their rates bill shot through the roof. Some property owners experienced 200% hikes with no prior notice. Following this rates hike, there was a flurry of objections to the various municipalities, with all the confusion and commotion that generally follows a public outcry.
The municipalities assess property values at least every four years, as stipulated within the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act, Act 6 of 2004. Because it is not feasible to assess every property in the country in each four-year period, some of the valuations are based on educated guesswork. Factors such as the external size of the dwelling, the land size, and the location – as well as current market conditions – are all taken into consideration, and an approximate market value is assigned.
This affects all properties including residential, commercial, agricultural, and public properties.
But what can you do if you feel that your municipal valuation is incorrect?
You will need to submit a Municipal Valuation Roll objection, which will require a little homework on your part. If you don’t have the time or the inclination, our property valuers are able to assist with the objection process, which will include completing the relevant forms and creating motivated valuation reports.
The objection process will include the following:
Run a search on your property on your municipal database. This will show you the details of your property and its current rateable value.
Download and complete the objection form on the municipal site. You can only submit one objection per form. The form will need to be completed in full and be factually correct.
If your objection relates to your valuation being incorrect then you will need to substantiate your objection with relevant data. There are various websites that offer paid property reports and can offer comparable data. You will need to make sure that you are comparing properties that are more or less equal to your own, or your argument could be thrown out.
Once you have all the information and the correct forms, you can submit your details and the municipality will follow up.
If this sounds like a lot of time that you don’t have, and you are not confident in your ability to gather the correct data, then give us a call. Our property valuers have the correct data on hand, and can take this tedious procedure off your hands.
Call us on 0860 999 440 or find out more at www.property-partnership.co.za.