The valuation of an estimated 50 000 properties in the greater George area will commence shortly as part of the George Municipality General Valuation process.
George Municipality Chief Financial Officer Keith Jordaan said these four-yearly updates of property valuations are required by law.
"Four years can be a long time, especially in a city such as George which has grown exponentially in recent years. It is a great opportunity for ratepayers to not only get an idea of the real market value of their properties - as opposed to an inflated value linked to an active property market - but also for citizens to engage with the municipality to ensure their properties are correctly valuated," said Mr Jordaan.
He said the appointed service provider, CDV Property Valuers (Pty) Ltd uses an array of information-gathering methods including analysing aerial photographs, site visits and neighbourhood drive-throughs.
"hile access and safety issues may affect first-round visits of residential properties and may therefore not be in person on all residential properties unless an appointment is specifically requested, all farms and businesses must be physically assessed by a data collector on site. Data collectors and assessors will carry identification cards, which they must produce when a particular premises is being assessed," he said.
"The data collection process is expected to be completed towards the end of 2017, and the Final General Valuation Role published for comment in December 2017 and January 2018," he added.
Jordaan said that the document would be available at municipal offices, libraries and on the municipal website. Ratepayers will be given 30 days from the first date of publication of the Roll to inspect the general valuation roll and lodge objections, if necessary.
"It is very important that residents check their valuations as it would affect the rates they pay on their own properties as well as the overall rate value calculations for the city. There are a few factors that can affect an evaluation - for instance, a smaller house in an area where there are mostly large homes may be over-valuated, or an old house in a good area may have lower value because inside fittings are in bad condition," said Mr Jordaan.
The value of a particular property is linked to the most likely sales price it would obtain on the open market, taking into consideration factors such as location, condition and size.
"While property prices have sky-rocketed in certain areas in George over the past few years, residents can be assured that the municipality will look at the overall picture to determine rates, based on updated information, and that will ensure the municipality grow with the city and its ever-expanding needs," said Mr Jordaan.
