Hi all ,
My council rates gone up by a lot.
I thought as the interest is going up may be i can ask them to revaluate.
Has Any one done this with success ?
When i question council they said my house valuation is gone up by 3% hence the rate.
Thanks 🙏
move to NSW
Not sure NSW rates are that cheap in comparison:)
Yes, cheaper, still refer to land value in 2019.
I thought as the interest is going up may be i can ask them to revaluate.
Rates are based on past valuations, so even if house prices decreased (and it won't matter as the valuations use land value not property value) it would only apply to future yearly rate calculations
But sure, try and get back to us.
So egg the neighbours' houses and light some cars on fire. Gotcha.
Couple years ago i build my house on the same block after knocking it down. It was like $1200 went up-to $1800. How do you explain that if valued at land.
There's a capital improvement value in the rates calculation (on my rates anyway). With a week of installing an in-ground pool I was issued a revised rates notice.
I see
is that a vic thing?
perhaps thats one diff between nsw and vic, as i've not seen that applied or documented in NSW info
dunno, ask the Valuer General that works out the property values.
eg
https://www.valuergeneral.nsw.gov.au/council_rates
I'm just quoting how it works, not that I agree with it. No idea how 'facts' get negs.
My main point was that small drops in housing prices doesnt get reflected in rates, they always want to keep or increase the council rates pool of funds.
Valuations are done on a 3 yearly basis so any housing price change now wouldnt be reflected until the next valuation interval (and the year following that when councils use the new valuation data)
Though im basing this off NSW info so if Vic does something different that would impact the calculations
Thanks for the info.
I don't think the council do enough to charge that much.
@Doboman: just did a quick vic read and yeah, vic uses property valuation rather than land.
So yeah, definitely a state difference.
Councils do have a fairly large area of responsibility outside state gov and federal gov.
Councils rarely make profits (at least in NSW many are running at losses), but that doesnt mean part of the issue is fund mismanagament, but you'd be surprised what local council rates are used to cover. Its not just garbage collections
@SBOB: well they obviously not going to make any profit by paying the mayor $400k for doing nothing but going around taking nice photos with resident and build their own team so they don't get booted out every 3 months. Council in regional probably run at a loss but I bet none in those metropolitan losing any money from the amount of planning & development applications they process.
but I bet none in those metropolitan losing any money from the amount of planning & development applications they process.
Central Coast Council enters the chat
@SBOB: Im sure they have a-lot to cover with cost.
i’m feeling the heat with all the cost as everyone.
I need to find out if this is fair and challenge them.
@Doboman: You can challenge the Valuer General valuation - when each one is issued you have a certain time period in which you can challenge it - but be prepared to back it up with evidence to support.
@Doboman: If an increase to council rates by a couple of hundred is causing you grief, I’d reevaluate some lifestyle choices you have made.
Personally I’d never spend $800 on a dyson when there are Dysons for $300.
Victoria house Council rates too high
When i question council they said my house valuation is gone up by 3% hence the rate.
3% increase is too high?
Something is missing in your post, tell us if your rates went up by more than 3%? if so, what was it, and what it is now.
even the train drivers in nsw think 3% payrise is not enough.
sack them all!
Look at the oil and gas workers demands….
Sorry bad maths .
It was like $1850 to $2150
Mine are nearly $4k so don't stress my friend.
Wooh not any more now , thats a lot
@Muzeeb: some one needs to pay for Dan's largesse……injecting rooms, bike paths, suburban railway, red shirts, westgate tunnel, $1.4bn for health care beds…….he keeps giving!
They are too dam high.
Imagine getting taxed 3 times working your whole life to own your own land then getting told you have to pay for owning that too ….. the state of this society lol
the best part is, you never really own the land the way that you think. if the government decides that they need it, they can forcibly acquire it, no matter if you don't want to sell it. (eminent domain)
i hate the idea of having to pay costs on top of costs for something that should be buy once, pay once. no wonder so many decide to game the system.
if my mortgage could be salary sacrificed like a novated lease on a car that would be lit but alas
You can salary sacrifice your mortgage
Surely rates don't "pay for the land". They pay for the garbage, kerbs, council trees, and not to mention all those important councillors!
it's not just rates, you can own a piece of land out in the bush with nothing but a gravel road connecting it to civilisation and you'll still have to pay taxes on it.
for example; if i work as much as possible for a period of my life, buy some land out in the boonies and build my own house (no loans) and live entirely off grid, i would still be forced to pay taxes, and probably rates (haven't looked into that one yet) on my bush block.
rates pay for whatever the bloody council decides it pays for, which is less on utilities and more on for the salaries / paying for bad decisions of the council these days. if you ever get tired of working, get a job in government
Sue them
I've heard there's a good solicitor service available, only a few 1-star reviews…
i heard a story about a man who keeps his rates low by empting a magazine into the air once a week / fortnight, out the window or in his backyard, can't remember.
New Idea? Women’s Day? I guess it would work.
Definitely 'that's life' or 'take 5' is my guess
If you think that the council valued your property too high then I'll buy it for the old rates valuation since that's all you think it's worth.
I saw in a fb group today that someone’s house had been valued at about 200k more than the last year. A little bit more than your 3%, but if you really disagree…
Other commenters on this post saying they had successfully requested a review from council in the past, so yes I would definitely suggest that as your next step.
Yeah i will and update this post what happened.
Who know it may go up or go down if some are paying $4000.
I'm more curious as to why people keep justifying paying more costs ontop to own your own land ?
Like if the rates were just for things like garbage , sewerage etc and where minor that's okay as long as there was also an option to opt out of those and provide your own ways of dealing with the above
But anything else seems crazy and hasn't there been court cases where they said councils have no legal grounds for rates or its against the constitution etc (anyone more knowledgeable fill me in)
Do you think $300,000 in council rates should be paid if you own your property ?
Do you benefit from local infrastructure and council services, like rubbish collection etc?
@spackbace: Yeah that's why i said above if its for like sewerage / garbage stuff your actually using all good my issue is more that if your just paying yet another tax simply for owning the land i disagree with in this case a guy was talking about a 3% rate hike based on his land value the infastructure and garbage requirements are the same why is his rates going up because his land value increased is what i don't understand ?
The $300k isn't just rates.
yknow, im fascinated it was 300k that finally made them up the ante to taking over the house. really makes ya think… if I dont pay a notice here or two… but not so much as to warrant formal action… saving a cheeky few % across my lifetime.. like a true "chaotic evil" ozbargainer
They add interest ontop lol
Sovereign citizens are the gift that keep on giving. It's kind of unfortunate that they've been co-opted by larger issues (COVID, violent militia, etc) but they're a great rabbit-hole of crazy if you invest the time ("Wait, why are they quoting Admiralty Law in court? And why do they insist on saying their name is "the natural person SURNAME: FIRST NAME"?)
For sure. I’d like to opt out of paying for local roads as well.
If you've some of the "local roads" in my area you might rethink that comment tbh lol
Also why is it when anyone questions anything tax related they just straight jump to hospitals roads schools etc lol
We had roads before land taxes and councils we've had roads for a very long time
Ive got a 4wd built for off-road so I don’t need roads. What are you on about?
@Awoke: Thought you were being sarcastic haha cause usually people talk about roads/hospitals etc and using them but not paying for them my bad
how much is the typical council rates ?
my valuation has gone up over 15%. Its ridiculous. So rates have gone up significantly as the valuation goes up.
rubbish fees have almost doubles, EPA fees up 20%
let the cosmetic maintenance go; no more mowing, leave old crap (washers, rusty bikes etc) in the garden, let the paint get weathered. bring the perceived value down, let your neighbours know what you're doing, too, with any luck they'll join in. small price to pay, to pay less.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, from what I have been told by council is all homes are valued, then the amount of $ needed that year by council is apportioned to each home.
So council could reduce your valuation by 20%, and everyone else's, and still bill you the same. You need to show how your home is overvalued compared to neighbouring homes, you can't just dispute a price rise in the suburb it will be ignored
How do you find other people council rates to dispute? We can only go by what we already know. You are correct , they do make up a number they need and charge everyone in there council.
3% is that all?
Seriously!
My last three valuations in chronological order,
11% increase i objected and increase was reduced to 4% increase.
Next was 17% increase I objected it and was reduced to a 5% increase.
You have to explain your reasoning if you object. In my case no major renovations and comparison to house prices that have sold recently. So in reality I may have managed to keep the valuation below the actual value.
Now my current one a 33% increase!
A 33% increase.
Now i also just changed my loan the bank says my place is actually worth $120,000 to $160,000 more than the council current valuation.
But I'm actually not sure if I will object this time as I did keep it down previously and in my regional town in Victoria (Wellington Shire) houses have been snapped up mostly by Melbourne people buying a second house as a covid escape plan and to use as a base camp for 4x4 trips up into the hills. Few are the Airbnb houses other regional areas are suffering from though.
Only 1 or 2 houses for sale at the local real estate, rentals hard for people to find and a lot dearer.
If I sold now I think I could get the councils valuation for it but not the banks valuation.
So you can dispute and reduce with a valid reason.Many thanks this was the answer i was after.
I had to ring up the mob contracted to do the valuations and the lady on the phone was a bit rude and tried to deter me but sent out the paperwork. I filled out the paperwork, my honest justifications and what I thought it was worth and even offered to give them a tour. The guy who did the review rang me nice as pie agreed with me and sent out the revised valuation.
I think when they do the valuations they have that many to do it's not a in depth valuation.
When you ask for a review they do a more in depth one. He said he drove past my place to have a look so all they have is the aerial photography most councils get done every few years and the drive by plus whatever online research they can do.
Awesome , nice to hear that you could get sorted.
When i send an email to my council , i had rude email trying to justify why it was charged when i only ask what option are for me negotiate the rates.
Councils employees are very well paid for the little work that they do. They get frequent salary increase even during pandemic. For example the ceo get paid $600-700k/ yr!
Infact council shud take over lawn cutting of nature strip after all its their land!
Most of all they are very dictatorship in their dealings with public even though their income are from house owners!
This i agree. I never had any beef with my council until corvid hit. Even banks chip in corvid time but my council said they did not increase rates . Thats all ?
I have a friend who started working for Wellington shire council, Victoria last year the employees are paid from $48,000 upwards.
Most are on around $55,000 to $65,000 he came from a busy job he did find the stereotypical council worker but he also found a lot that did put in a decent day's work.
Usually people who did come from private industry and haven't yet become industitionalised into the council mentally as some of the workers there say.
Damn homeowners just can’t catch a break eh?
Yes. Have had the value revalued a few times previously and was successful. It is worthwhile doing it so save a few hundred bucks
Many thanks for reply , that is good news
Lol - nice troll attempt on a Friday afternoon