New valuation law introduces UGX 100 million fine for rogue practitioners

President Museveni assents to the Valuation Act 2025, introducing strict standards and fines of up to 100 million Shillings to regulate Uganda’s real estate sector.

KAMPALA — President Yoweri Museveni has assented to the Valuation Act, 2025, a landmark piece of legislation designed to formalize the valuation profession and protect the public from unscrupulous practitioners.

The new law, signed alongside the Building Control (Amendment) Act and the Mortgage Refinance Institutions Act, introduces strict ethical codes, national standards and heavy penalties for professional misconduct. Under the new regulations, valuers found misrepresenting property information or practicing without a license face fines of up to 100 million Shillings or imprisonment.

Alozius Gonza, former president of the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda, said the law addresses a decade-long regulatory vacuum that has cost the government and private investors billions of Shillings.

“People have lost billions,” Gonza said. “The law is good news to the country, especially in the real estate industry, financial sector and infrastructure development.”

The act establishes the Institute of Certified Valuers of Uganda, a statutory body responsible for setting professional standards and maintaining a register of licensed practitioners. It also formalizes the office of the chief government valuer to oversee public valuations and infrastructure compensation.

Industry experts say the law will curb common injustices in the real estate market, such as unfair tax assessments and the inflation of property values during loan applications. In the past, some borrowers saw property values drop significantly between loan disbursement and foreclosure, a discrepancy the new standards aim to eliminate.

“The law will help provide a basis for questioning what the valuers do, ethically,” Gonza said.

The legislative package also targets Uganda’s housing deficit and construction safety. The Mortgage Refinance Institutions Act empowers the Bank of Uganda to regulate mortgage financing and increase access to long-term credit for homeowners.

Meanwhile, the updated building control law introduces jail terms of up to 12 years or fines for illegal construction and building without permits. District building committees now have the power to demolish structures that violate safety standards or cause injury on construction sites.

Lawyer Richard Masereje noted that these reforms provide the transparency and risk mitigation necessary to guide investment decisions and secure financial lending as the property market grows.