(Image: Supplied) The average residential property value in Cape Town has increased by 17% over the last three years, according to the City of Cape Town.
This reflects the findings of the latest General Valuation Roll (GVR), published on 20 February, in which the municipality records its estimates of property values for each home as of 1 July 2025. The City uses a Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal (Cama) system to generate “fair and accurate property values”, together with methods including “comparative and analytical tools” and “aerial photography”.
This 17% increase would be the envy of many property owners in other South African metros.
But in Cape Town, as our previous reporting explored, it can be a double-edged sword for middle-class residents, as the property value is used to determine not only monthly rates, but also fixed municipal charges for water, electricity, sanitation and cleaning.
Daily Maverick’s analysis of six sample Cape Town properties chosen at random from readers’ submissions shows that the value of these properties increased on average by 16.97%, tallying closely with the City’s reported average.
In response to the release of the GVR, however, the Cape Town Collective Ratepayers’ Association (CTCRA) said it had received “numerous reports from homeowners in member associations whose valuations have increased by between 25% and 140%; in most instances, these increases have been applied despite there being no improvements to the properties concerned”.
The CTCRA said that it welcomed the City’s 10,2% reduction in the rate-in-the-rand calculation used to calculate the monthly municipal rates.
“However, any property which increases by more than 11% in value will still see an increase in rates,” it warned.
For Cape Town homeowners unhappy with their new valuations, it is not the end of the road: there is now a period of just over two months in which objections to the valuation can be lodged.
/file/attachments/2985/STEPS_804129.jpg "Steps to lodge an objection to your municipal valuation by the City of Cape Town")
/file/attachments/2985/Important_798631.jpg "Important things to remember when objecting to your property valuation")
It should also be noted that the current municipal valuation of the property will not necessarily remain the same until the next GVR is released.
Once a year, the City also releases a Supplementary Valuation Roll (SVR) that updates the GVR where necessary.
The SVR contains updated values of properties that have had significant structural changes, that were incorrectly recorded in the GVR as the result of a clerical error, or that have “undergone a substantial increase or decrease in market value”.
The City regularly scans commercial sales data to make sure its valuations match. In other words, if you buy a property for more than its municipal valuation, you can expect it to feature in a future SVR with adjusted rates.
One Daily Maverick reader, Colin*, bought a property for R2,600,000 in 2023, with the property at that stage having a municipal valuation of R2,380,000.
In 2024, Colin received a letter from the City of Cape Town stating that the municipal valuation had been adjusted upwards to R2,600,000 as a result of it being previously “substantially incorrectly undervalued”.
This is something to bear in mind when purchasing a property for above its municipal value: the rates and tariffs will catch up, usually within a year or two. You can, however, also lodge an objection to the SVR valuation. DM
*Name changed to protect identity