​​Property owners and businesses have welcomed the City’s proactive engagement on the General Valuation Roll (GVR), which is scheduled for roll out next July. This week, nearly 100 property owners or stakeholders with property interests attended the City’s first virtual consultation and briefing session on the 2023 General Valuation Roll.

The session was organised by the Property Branch within Group Finance.

“The municipal valuer and assistant municipal valuers have been designated and all provisions of the municipal property act are being followed​ in the process of compiling the #GVR2023,” said Piet Eloff, the Municipal Valuer.

Eloff said for the very first time in history, the City would compile the GVR in-house.

With Johannesburg boasting about 934 194 registered properties as at the end of June 2022, Eloff said the compilation process was going smoothly.

“The #GVR2023 process is important as it helps the City to assign a value and a category to all properties in a municipality. The objective is to generate rates on an equitable basis,” he explained.

The majority of the properties in the City’s portfolio are residential, accounting for approximately 89% of all registered properties. Business and commercial properties account for 5.4% of the City’s rate-based portfolio, while vacant land accounts for 2.8%. The remaining 2.8% is made up of other properties.

Sihle More, Group Head for the Property Branch, said the City takes all stakeholders’ input and constructive criticism seriously.

“We will continue to engage with our stakeholders and take them along as we prepare for the GVR. We want a valuation roll that stakeholders will ultimately be proud of. Let us help each other as we continue the journey,” More said.

Rates Watch’s Ben Espach applauded the City’s efforts to engage stakeholders ahead of the compilation of the 2023 valuation roll.

“We welcome the virtual engagement, and we urge the City to continue on this route,” said Espach.

Written by Nkosana Lekotjolo

17/11/2022