Limited time to object to latest home valuation
‘Do your research,’ ratepayers forum urges
Flagging an increase of around 25.35% in the value of rates in Ndlambe from 2019 to 2024, the Ndlambe Ratepayers Forum (NRF) has urged residents and business owners to submit their formal objections to the municipality by the closing date of April 9 2024.
However, the forum has cautioned that objecting on the basis of a sharp increase isn’t enough: “You have to supply proof that your residence is overvalued,” chair Dawie van Wyk said.
“Many residents think they can compare the 2019 roll with this roll; but they cannot, as the methodology used to calculate the 2024 values is totally different,” Van Wyk said. “The only way to object is to compare current values in the area compared to your house value. You have to supply proof that your residence is overvalued.”
The municipality, on February 8, published a notice informing the public that the new valuation roll, effective from July 1 2024, was open for inspection. The value allocated to a property determines the rates that its owner will be charged. The values on the new roll will be valid for five years.
The evaluation company is appointed as an independent contractor by the municipality, and has signed a service level agreement.
When the roll was published, the NRF requested a round-table discussion with Ndlambe’s finance department and the independent valuator who had come up with the new determinations, Mark Lindstrom. This meeting, which Van Wyk described as constructive and fruitful, took place on March 6 at the municipal offices.
When the new roll was published, the NRF requested the new roll in a format that allowed for comparison with the 2019-2024 figures, and included the street addresses of the erven. But, as they learnt during last week’s discussions, these comparisons are not the tool that ratepayers require to lend strength to their objections.
Lindstrom told the ratepayers representatives that they could not compare the 2019 roll with the 2024 roll. The 2024-2029 roll used aerial surveys to determine the square meterage of buildings.
House sales, photographs of properties, aerial photography and data collection had all been used to determine values. Aerial photography would not have detected a large patio area under the main roof, for example.
Lindstrom acknowledged that when 26,000 properties were being evaluated, there would be some anomalies and that was why there was an objection process.
“Residents cannot object to the roll by stating their house is overvalued,” Van Wyk said, relaying the information gleaned at last Wednesday’s meeting. “They must supply proof and look at the other houses in their area, or road and do a comparison.”
Other factors that help to determine the value of a property are river frontage, sea views and proximity to the beach, among others.
Other issues raised at last week’s meeting were bad debt, the rates policy with regard to pensioners, and Ndlambe’s exceptionally high rate in the rand.
Ndlambe’s chief financial officer Michael Klaas explained that 70% of the municipality’s rates debt is not recoverable.
People had left the area, many were deceased estates and many residents were unable to pay. The rates debt (owed to Ndlambe) stood at R 250,085,677, Klaas said.
The issue of an updated pensioner policy was raised. It was pointed out that many other municipalities had such a policy; however, the Ndlambe policy had not been updated for years.
Klaas invited the NRF to participate in the process of updating the pensioner rates policy.
The NRF has formed a committee that will submit proposals regarding pensioner discounts to Ndlambe’s finance department.
“The NRF would like the policy to be based on income, value of property and age,” Van Wyk reported.
On the question of Ndlambe’s remarkably high rate in the rand, Klaas explained that this is because the Ndlambe municipal area does not have large industry that can be taxed.
The closing date for objections to the proposed rates valuation roll is April 9 2024 at 4.30pm. Objections relating to 2023/2029 general valuation roll can be emailed to Jeanette at
jpienaar@ndlambe.gov.za.
The document is available to view in hard copy until April 9 2024 at municipal offices in Port Alfred (finance directorate, Campbell Street), Alexandria (municipal office, Otto du Plessis Street), Kenton-on-Sea (municipal office, Kenton Road) and Bathurst (municipal office, Bathurst Road).
It is also on the municipality’s website:
https://ndlambe.gov.za/web/valuation-rolls/.
The form for lodging an objection is available from those municipal offices or from Ndlambe’s website: https://ndlambe.gov.za/web/objectionforms/.