See what your property is worth on Joburg website from today

20-02-2013
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IOL Property
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For the first time, Joburg property owners will be able to find out the value of other properties in their street.

Residents will also see how much houses in their areas were sold for, when inspecting the new 2013 general valuation roll.

Announcing the opening of the new roll for inspection by property owners, City of Joburg member of the mayoral committee responsible for finance Geoffrey Makhubo said they had tried to make the inspection process as easy as possible for the city's property owners.

People can check their valuations from today, either on the city's website or by walking into the City of Joburg offices.

There will be dedicated staff to assist property owners to access their valuations, and the valuations of neighbouring properties, and also to assist them with the filling in of objection forms, he said.

The valuation roll is made up of 812 769 properties and has a total value of R912 billion.

This is a 23 percent increase in value since the 2008 roll, the main reason being that public service infrastructure such as roads, the Gautrain routes and other developments have increased to R30bn, and municipal and state properties account for R14bn.

All properties have been valued as at July 2012, at market value. The new rates will start being billed from July 2 and will be valid for four years.

All property owners will be notified of the new valuation in writing, but the onus remains on them to enquire if they do not receive it. The roll will be open until May 3 for inspection, which is the same date that objections close.

Residents who lodge objections will still have to pay the higher rate until the matter is resolved.

The municipal valuer will consider objections, and if a resident is still not satisfied, he will be able to go the Valuation Appeals Board, an independent body made up of advocates, property specialists and valuers.

All objections have to be made on prescribed forms that can be downloaded from the website or obtained from City of Joburg offices. Owners can also call 087 845 1830 to get the forms.

Residents often ask how properties are valued. Residential properties are generally not done with a physical inspection.

The city uses a computeraided appraisal system to determine the values of the properties, based on statistical analysis and geographical information systems.

This advanced technology uses building plans, street-level video footage, physical inspections and pictometry, which is a series of aerial photos of the property showing different angles of the buildings, such as how many storeys, additions and outbuildings it has.

Non-residential properties are inspected with field visits to get data such as the property use, rentals, and the financial records of businesses.

The roll shows that residential properties, including sectional title units, account for 75 percent of the roll.

"We would like to encourage all property owners to check values as these will remain in force for the next four years," said Makhubo.

City valuer Piet Eloff said they were expecting about 5 percent of owners to object.