The Kouga property valuations have been done fairly and professionally and fairly a statement from Kouga Municipality sent out this morning, says.
The statement advises that the company responsible for compiling Kouga’s new General Valuations Roll, DDP Valuers, has responded to concerns raised in the media about the new valuations.
“As part of our commitment to a valuation process that is fair and transparent, Kouga Municipality wishes to share the response with property owners.
” The response from DDP Valuers is as follows:
“With reference to the article “Municipal valuations under investigation”, which appeared in a local newspaper in June.
“DDP Valuers was made aware of a complaint lodged by a valuation company with the Public Protector only after the article was published. To date no notification has been received from the Public Protector that our company or the valuations are under investigation.
“Herewith, a few comments about statements made in the article:
- … “haphazard valuations” that are incorrect and flawed
“The Municipal Property Rates Act makes ample provision for any person to object to an entry in a General Valuation Roll. An objection will be considered by the municipal valuer and a Valuation Appeal Board, should the property owner wish to appeal against the findings of the municipal valuer.
“The Valuation Appeal Board is an independent body appointed by the MEC: Local Government. If the appellant is dissatisfied with the decision of the Valuation Appeal Board, the next step is to approach the High Court to review the decision taken by the Valuation Appeal Board.
- … “that the valuation of a property should not vary by more than 10%”
“In order to explain how comparable sales are applied, as well as the skills and expertise of the municpal valuer, we like to refer to the Supreme Court ruling regarding the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and the Chairman of the Valuation Appeal Board for the City of Johannesburg (cade no 282.2013).
“Ad Par [22] – The function of the municipal valuer is of considerable importance. In order to determine the market value of property, valuers should have regard to various factors in order to determine what a notional willing buyer would probably pay to a willing seller in the open market. These include comparable sales of similar properties in the open market; the extent to which the parties to previous transactions acted voluntarily and negotiated on equal terms or acted under compulsion; the motivation of the respective parties in previous transactions to buy and sell; restrictions on the use of property and the possibility of their removal; the improvements on the land and the depreciation of those improvements; the potential uses to which the land may be put; and the income that may be derived from the property.
“Ad Par [24] – Valuations is accordingly not an exact science. The market value of a property can only be estimated and not precisely determined, and a valuer is called on to exercise professional skill and expertise in a specialised field by expressing an opinion on the market value in monetary terms.
- Awarded Tender
“The tender to compile the Kouga General Valuation Roll (2014 to 2018) was awarded to DDP Valuers Pty (Ltd).
“Ten public meetings were held from May to August 2013 as part of the valuation team’s commitment to be customer focused, transparent and fair. The public meetings were successful and notes of thanks were received from the St Francis Bay Residents Association for the professional manner in which the valuations were conducted.
“The result of this customer-focused approached is visible in the amount of objections received. A total of 35 464 properties were valued and 1200 objections were received in comparison to the approximately 5000 objections received during the previous valuation.
“DDP Valuers were further impressed with the manner in which the Kouga Valuation Department handled themselves. They are very co-operative and pro-active in resolving disputes. It is heart-warming to deal with a valuation department that is really trying to make a difference.”
(edited)
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