City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba says he has ordered an audit into the legal status of those occupying City properties.

The audit would establish, among other things, whether tenants occupying buildings in the City were doing so legally and if any subletting was taking place.

It would also look into occupants' socioeconomic conditions.

The report from the audit is expected to be presented at the end of March 2019.

Mashaba announced this while launching a R191-million development in Turffontein on Tuesday in collaboration with the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco).

The Turffontein Social Housing Project comprises 525 units, with an inner courtyard and a play area for children.

"This cosmopolitan project consists of one-bedroom and two-bedroom communal rental units targeting people earning between R1 500 and R15 000 a month," Mashaba said.

During the event, the mayor stressed the importance of ensuring that City units were legally occupied.

"At today's event, I also stressed the importance of ensuring that units are only occupied by those legally permitted to occupy the units – our poorest residents," he said.

Mashaba commended the commitment MMC for Housing Meshack Van Wyk and Joshco showed.

"Upon entering government, I discovered a housing backlog of over 300 000 of people who can afford to pay for accommodation. However, this missing middle income group [comprises] individuals who are above the income threshold to qualify for RDP housing and fall short of qualifying for bonds," he said.

Mashaba added that the City council approved the release of 84 buildings earlier this year, which were earmarked for the regeneration of the inner city.

"The development of these buildings will take place through public private partnerships with developers within the city," he said.

Mashaba said the 84 buildings would deliver an estimated 4 000 units for student accommodation, small business premises and even more affordable accommodation for poor residents.