LUSAKA PROPERTY VALUATION SHOCKS, ANNOYS RESIDENTS

THERE is a huge uproar in Lusaka over highly inflated property valuations which are beyond the means of domestic and commercial property owners.

The hardest hit are former civil servants and council tenants who bought properties at modest prices and now are being asked to pay rates several times more than the cost of the houses.

“These figures the council has conjured are totally impossible and any budget made with this wild expectation is bound to fail,” said a property owner.

Property owners fear that valuing the properties at their current rate would attract unreasonable ground rates as they increase with the surge in value.

Another leaseholder wondered how a residential property bought at about K30 million (30, 000 rebased) in the 1990s could now be valued at over K3 billion.

“This is unreasonable, how do they expect us to pay such exorbitant ground rates for properties that were acquired at a lower value,” he said. Lusaka Town Clerk, Alex Mwansa however said in an interview that the valuation notices that were being served should not cause panic as they were not final.

Mr Mwansa said property owners who had objections were free to lodge in their complaints before November 6, this year and that their cases would be heard by the Rating Valuation Tribunal.

He said the tribunal would appoint independent valuators who would assess the value of properties of those who would have objections and advise accordingly.

Mr Mwansa said the valuations were done by the Government Valuation Department for checks and balances purposes and that set guidelines and calculations were followed.

“Those who have objections will have an opportunity to appear before the tribunal and engage them.

The property owner can object if they feel the value is higher or lower,” he said. The Lusaka City Council Main Valuation

Roll of 2019 is now open for inspection by leaseholders and notices are being served.