The effect of poor reconciliation between surveyor-general data(spatial) and deeds register information on municipal budgets

Abstract

The Chief Surveyor-General study in 2011, identified a discrepancy between the Chief Surveyor-General and the Chief Registrar of Deeds. Considering these two governmental institutions as custodians of property registers within South Africa, the red flags raised by this study prompted the notion to determine the extent of the effect on the municipal budget. The study extends the understanding of developing property registers while indicating the influence of an incorrectly developed property register on the valuation roll, and the intern influence on the municipal budget. The goal is to determine the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in compiling a property register as the base information to develop a valuation roll. The focus was to draw a correlation between the Chief Surveyor-General Act and the Chief Registrar of Deeds Act, to emphasise the main similarities that can be used as a multidisciplinary approach. An in-depth study was conducted on the actual Acts governing the local government and how these Acts can assist local government to reach an objective of more accurate budget development. Property registers and valuation rolls were the focus. The analysis was conducted on 23 municipalities with an approximate property count of 1.8 million. The total value was calculated to be R2 trillion value over the sample. A combined methodological approach determined the statistical differences between the data sets and interviews. The aim was to obtain plausible solutions and application/practical flaw identification. For the statistical analysis, the deeds data, surveyor data, and valuation roll data were cross-linked to determine the differences among the three data sets. This presented the monetary influence of properties that cannot be rated in the currently implemented valuation rolls. The qualitative information determined the professionals’ (13 respondents) actions, how the Acts are interpreted, and identified practical solutions. The statistical analysis recognised ample discrepancies between the deeds data and the surveyor data. The main concern was that the differences between the valuation roll— two data sets specified an enormous loss of income in the 23 municipal areas. The interviews deduced a 45/55 split among the professionals on how the statutes are interpreted and the observation of the multidisciplinary approach among the professionals. Training is required, and the change is imminent. The study contributes to knowledge: • Drawbacks and solutions when a multidisciplinary approach is applied were identified. • A correlation between the Chief Surveyor-General (Chief Surveyor-General) Act and the Chief Registrar of Deeds Act was drawn. • It was identified that municipalities have budgetary concerns owing to flawed valuation rolls because of poor reconciling in the property register development phase. • A framework was developed to limit the mistakes in the property register while improving the valuation roll and the valuation data.