Dear Editor,
Please grant me a space in your newspaper to vent my frustration with the Ministry of Finance, Valuation Division (Government valuation office) located on Camp St, Georgetown.
I wish to bring to the attention of the public, the Minister of Finance and all the relevant authorities, the unprofessionalism and slothfulness of the Government Valuation Office when it comes to completing a valuation of a property. Since the third week in January 2022, I made a request to have a valuation done on a property; they told me that it would take approximately a week and a half for me to get the valuation certificate. To date, over three weeks later, I am still without a valuation. The task of doing the valuation was assigned to Evaluation Officer, Mr. Pitt, by the Chief Evaluation Officer, Mr. Barrington. Mr. Pitt went and inspected the property three days after it was assigned to him and he told me I could collect the valuation the following Monday.
After several frustrating follow-ups with the Valuator, from Monday I was then told Tuesday, then Wednesday; after this I was told the following Monday. I waited patiently then I was told Tuesday again. At this point I asked to speak to Mr. Barrington directly and I expressed my frustration to him. He told me he will look into the matter, but after that I was unable to make contact with him again. I am still without a valuation certificate after all the follow-up calls and visits to the Valuation Office. I am being given the royal runaround, from one excuse to another, and there appears to be no end in sight. I am pleading to relevant authorities to look into the situation at the valuation office.
This incompetence or neglect is costing the good citizens of Guyana their time, money and the opportunity sell or own their own home, since the banks require a Valuation Certificate if they are to finance the acquisition of the property. Additionally, given the current housing drive, many persons are looking to acquire a loan to build, or buy a property, and one of the requirements of the financial institutions is a Valuation Certificate. There is little, to no information on the internet, about the process or fees on acquiring a valuation certificate. I will appreciate it if the relevant authorities could answer a few questions for the good citizens of Guyana.
1- How long does it take to get a valuation done?
2- What are the fees for doing a valuation?
3- What are the documents needed for doing a valuation?
4- What is the process to follow to get a valuation?
5- Where do a person go to lodge a complaint should they find themselves in a similar situation?
This is not the first instance of a similar issue with the Ministry of Finance, Valuation Division (Government valuation office). A letter was published in the Kaieteur newspaper on Feb 14, 2019 detailing the experience of another individual. I am kindly asking the relevant authority to look into this issue with the valuation office.
Sincerely,
A Frustrated Citizen
