Property Valuation Tool
1 Properties
| Plot no. | Description | Area | Built m² | Land m² | Total value (valuer) | Map |
|---|
Select a property in the list, add one, or import a file.
2 Land value rates value of land per square metre, by Area
Land is valued as rate × parcel area. The starting rates are the median land values per m² in the 2011 valuation roll for each Area of the city. They are 2011 capital values in Kwacha: the registered valuer must review them and bring them to today's values and to the value basis used for the sample, either by editing rates or with the uplift factor below.
| Area | Land use (map) | Rate per m² | With uplift | Plots in 2011 roll | 2011 range (p25–p75) | Source / note | Properties |
|---|
Characteristics observable features that adjust the building value
Keep the list short and the categories few. Characteristics come from the imported columns or are added here; values are entered per property on the Properties tab.
| Name | Type | Categories (comma separated) / base category | Condition variable? |
|---|
Legal flag: a characteristic is marked as a condition variable. The Local Government Act values improvements assuming "reasonable condition"; whether actual condition may enter the formula is unresolved. Keep the registered valuer's decision documented.
Building value model weights fitted on the sample, editable and lockable
3 Results
| Plot no. | Description | Area | Land m² | Rate /m² | Land value | Built m² | Building value | Total value | Valuer total | Ratio | Notes |
|---|
Help & legal
How a property is valued
- Land value = land rate for the property's Area (or Sector) × parcel area in m². Rates come from the Land rates tab.
- Building value = base value × area term × product of (1 + weight) for each characteristic. The weights are fitted on the sample properties: for each one the valuer's total value minus the land value gives the building value the model learns from.
- Total value = land value + building value. The valuation roll shows all three separately, as the Local Government Act s.68(1) requires.
Steps
- Import the property list or add properties. Place each on the map (the Area and Sector are detected automatically) and trace or type the parcel and built areas.
- Check the land rates for the Areas you are valuing. Set the uplift factor or edit rates so they match today's values.
- For a sample of properties (a few dozen at least, spread across sizes and types) enter the valuer's total value.
- Open Results. The model refits automatically; check the sample size, the typical error and the ratio column, then export the roll and the report.
Switch to Advanced to edit characteristics, change the model form, lock weights to council-chosen values, and see the full statistics.
Legal points
- Property Valuation Act 2024 s.22: the valuer must state the basis and method, explain it, list the assumptions and substantiate the data. This tool applies the direct market comparative method to land (s.22(4)(a)) and the residual method to buildings (s.22(4)(f)), calibrated by regression; the report and the per-property calculation sheets set this out.
- PVA 2024 ss.24–25: a valuation report carries a validity period and is certified with the valuer's stamp, name, address, date and signature. Enter the valuer details in Advanced mode so they print on the report; the tool cannot replace the certification.
- PVA 2024 s.42(2)(c): regulations on mass valuation procedures were not confirmed as issued. The near-term use is a pilot on council-owned property through an LGA s.66 supplementary roll.
- Local Government Act s.67, s.68: rolls are prepared by a registered valuer and show land, improvement and total values separately; post-2017 the basis is estimated rental value. Use one basis consistently for rates and sample totals.
- Condition variables: the Act's "reasonable condition" wording leaves it unclear whether actual condition may enter the formula; such characteristics are flagged.
Data
Everything stays in this browser until you export it. Use Save project regularly and keep the file on council storage. Satellite imagery needs an internet connection; the rest works offline. The Area and Sector boundaries and the 2011 land rates are built into the tool. The hosted copy lives at lilongwe-asset-valuation.logri.tech; work saved there is not visible when the tool is opened from another address or from a folder, so move projects with Save project and Open project.