Residents urged to verify new property valuations amid rising municipal bills

Homeowners in the far south are reporting significant increases in their municipal bills following new property valuations by the City of Cape Town.

Bas Zuidberg, chair of the Cape Town Collective Ratepayers’ Association (CTCRA) and also chair of the Noordhoek Ratepayers’ Association, said a social media poll the association is running indicates the average increase for properties in Noordhoek is around 50–60%.

“That would mean an increase in municipal fixed charges – rates, electricity, water, sanitation and sundries – of about 50%, even if the City applies its proposed 10% reduction,” he said.

“Residents are incredibly concerned and frustrated. While wealthier areas may need to support less affluent ones, seeing bills rise while basic services are sometimes lacking is causing anger.”

Mr Zuidberg noted that while the City reports an average residential property increase of 17%, individual properties have reportedly increased by between 25% and 140%, often without any improvements.

“These new valuations will exacerbate the affordability crisis affecting Cape Town housing,” he said.

He also highlighted that rates are only one portion of municipal bills.

In the City’s 2025/2026 budget, fixed charges for water, sanitation and city-wide cleaning were linked to property values.

These charges can account for up to a third of the non-consumptive amounts on the municipal bill, and the City has not provided updates on how these fixed charges will change.

“Property owners of commercial, industrial, agricultural and vacant land are left in the dark,” he said.

The association also pointed out that while the City has proposed a 10.2% lower Rate-in-the-Rand for residential properties, this will only provide partial relief.

“Any property which increases by more than 11% in value will still see an increase in rates,” Mr Zuidberg said.

“With valuation increases of 25% to 140%, rates will increase substantially more than the rises CTCRA members saw in the past year, and these were already significant.”

He expressed concern about the City for announcing the valuation increases without providing a full picture of how municipal bills would be affected.

“It leaves the public with a feeling of uncertainty – the City increases valuations first, then offers a small discount, without transparency on how other charges will be calculated,” he said.

Mr Zuidberg also noted ongoing legal challenges to the linking of fixed charges to property values. The approach was contested in court late last year by SAPOA and Afriforum, with CTCRA acting as amicus curiae.

Judgment is expected soon, making the outcome important in light of the new valuations.

He urged all homeowners to check their new property valuations carefully.

“We will be assisting our members over the coming weeks on how to submit effective objections if their valuations appear unreasonably high,” he said.