Cape Town advises residents on objecting to new property valuations

Cape Town homeowners are urged to provide supporting evidence when objecting to their new property values, and to keep in mind that unsubstantiated opinions of the value do not constitute a basis for an objection.

The best motivation would be to supply sales evidence of comparable sales, according to the City's Valuations Manager Emil Weichardt.

If no comparable sales data is available, owners should give good reasons as to why their property values are incorrect, he said. For instance, a mere reference to the age of the property will not necessarily mean that the valuation is incorrect.

He warned owners to be wary of accepting unsubstantiated opinions of values. "There has to be a proper analysis of each value," he said.

Objection forms that were not properly completed would be rejected, and those providing sales and other relevant data "make the case much stronger."

"We take each complete objection form seriously, and will give it a full, fair examination," he said. "The objection process is important to us, as it helps us ensure our data is correct."

Executive Deputy Mayor Alderman Ian Neilson has earlier highlighted that property valuations are conducted by professional valuers, with no political interference. A total of 18 centres at which property owners can lodge objections, opened around the city on 22 February 2010.

A full list of the 18 objection centres is available at http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/propertyvaluations/Documents/Property_Valuation_Objection_Venues.pdf

Posted at 11:01AM Mar 05, 2010 by Editor in Residential  |  Comments[1]