Staff Reporter
The City of Johannesburg will offer a 10% rebate to qualifying property owners who pay their annual municipal property rates in advance, the city said on Wednesday.
The new Rebate for Advance Settlement of Municipal Property Rates forms part of the city’s approved 2026/27 Budget, Tariffs and Property Rates Policy and will take effect from 1 July.
Qualifying property owners will receive the rebate if they settle their projected annual rates account in full before the start of the financial year.
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The city said the incentive was being introduced alongside a 3.6% property rates increase for the 2026/27 financial year, lower than the 4.6% increase implemented in the previous financial year.
“The City remains committed to finding practical ways to support residents while strengthening financial sustainability. This rebate provides direct savings to property owners who are able to settle their rates account in advance and forms part of a broader package of relief measures approved by Council,” said Kgamanyane Maphologela, Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement in Group Finance.
Property owners seeking to benefit from the rebate must submit applications at least three months before the start of the financial year, although late applications may be considered on merit.
Properties subject to valuation objections or appeals may qualify for provisional approval. However, properties with active legal action, defaulted payment arrangements or illegal service connections will not qualify.
The city said it had also enhanced support for public schools, with Quintile 1, 2 and 3 public schools able to qualify for a rebate of up to 50% on qualifying charges.
To benefit, schools must ensure their municipal accounts are not in arrears or must have an active payment arrangement with the city. The rebate will remain linked to the duration of the applicable General Valuation Roll.
The city said that approved rebates remained subject to continued compliance with municipal account obligations.
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“Recipients of all municipal rebates, including pensioner rebates, heritage rebates and Expanded Social Package benefits, must keep their municipal accounts in good standing. Failure to honour payment obligations or payment arrangements may result in the immediate withdrawal of benefits,” Maphologela said.
Eligible property owners can obtain and submit application forms through the City of Johannesburg website, customer service centres, or by emailing ratescomments@joburg.org.za.
