Lilongwe homeowners face fines and prison as city-wide property audit begins

Government valuers have been given their marching orders to descend on properties across Lilongwe City after the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development held a crunch orientation meeting on Sunday, kicking off a mammoth property assessment exercise that could see anyone caught lying to officials hauled before the courts.

The Quinquennial Valuation Roll (QVR) exercise, set to run from August 2026 through to March 2027, will see officers combing through Lilongwe’s properties to build an updated database used to calculate city rates, in line with the Local Government Act of 1998.

Acting Commissioner of Valuation, Cynthia Chisanu, revealed that officers will spend the first 30 days piloting the exercise before expanding the operation to cover the rest of the city.

Addressing the assembled team, Chisanu stressed the need for close teamwork throughout the process.

“You have to work closely with one another throughout the exercise because proper coordination will be essential in collecting accurate and reliable property information,” she told officers.

Property owners face fines — or worse

The exercise will see valuation teams entering properties across Lilongwe to carry out assessments, with residents, landlords and developers all expected to cooperate fully and hand over any information requested.

But Lilongwe City Council has issued a stark warning to anyone tempted to dodge the process — branding obstruction of valuers, refusal to provide information, or lying to officials as punishable offences that could land offenders with hefty fines or even a stint behind bars if convicted.

The Council insists the crackdown is necessary to ensure the resulting property database is accurate, with officials saying the updated records will form the backbone of future city rate assessments and dramatically improve how property information is managed across the capital.

With enforcement powers now firmly in place, residents across Lilongwe have been put on notice: cooperate with the valuers, or face the consequences.