SSky

I've been having this little argument with my council for months about my rates, every time I paid them on time they would send me a letter saying I was overdue and had to pay a late payment.
It's been very stressful and my life was just a huge headache of catching up with bloody payments.
Anyways I got an email from them the other day saying it was their error and they're giving me the late payment amounts back. Thank baby Jesus ... it was making us quite poor.

MrsFychan

I had that problem also, not getting the bills in the post so I now get them via email. so much easier

SSky

This went right back to the previous yrs rates, I must have had a sad I want to kill myself tone to my voice the final time I rang them MrsFychan and they finally looked into it and realized it was their error.

LauraNotts

Try getting rubbish bins out of Christchurch City Council if you're not the home owner.

It took 3 phonecalls and 3 emails to my property manager to get her to call the council (who won't let me request them because I'm only a tenant)

And it then took about 3 phonecalls to Christchurch City Council plus two conversations via email in which I finally lost my rag and told them I was paying rates via my rent for a service I wasn't getting from them and they needed to sort their s**t out.

TLR - moved into my rental on the 12th August, took FOREVER for bureaucracy to turn its wheels. It's 12th Sept tomorrow and I am told I will have bins by then.

SSky

B*st*rds lol!

Tom H

Waimakariri council by any chance???

Sounds very similar

SSky

Yis!

escapedtonz

Played stroppy email tennis with my local council officer a few days ago over our rates bill on the new section. Charging us over $2200 just because we own a plot of land. Grrr!
Council info states the rates are only charged to residents of the borough that own property. Tried to explain I am neither. I don't yet own a property, I only own grass and we are not resident in that borough so how can they charge us any rates?
Fell on deaf ears. Said we have to pay regardless so they'll be getting over $1000 for nothing to cover the first 6 months.
Seems there's no way to appeal or mechanism to get a discount unless you are on benefits or elderly.

Bo-Jangles

I don't know why you would think you have any grounds for appeal: the ratable value of any 'property' is based on two components land and capital improvements (AKA buildings or other infrastructure on the land) so stands to reason that you would have to pay rates even if it is a bare section. It doesn't matter if you live there or not, otherwise nobody would be paying any rates on numerous rental properties, second homes, baches and the likes.

SSky

It's usually half rates for a bare section. We paid half rates until the house was signed off.

escapedtonz

Because of my local councils statement about what rates are intended for and for whom they apply to. I can easily argue that I don't fit their criteria to be handed a bill as their statement of intent is written.....not my fault that it is written leaving loopholes or that it is open to interpretation.

The officer has shut the door on my argument anyway by quoting reference to a by-law which does explain further and as you say means anyone who owns any property, (land and/or buildings) they are legally obliged to pay rates in line with the RV or CV as decided by council.

Don't understand your statement "It doesn't matter if you live there or not, otherwise nobody would be paying any rates on numerous rental properties, second homes, baches and the likes"?
My argument stems from the fact there is no reason for me to live there as at the moment it is just land. All of your examples have property that can be lived in by the owner, tenant or guest which of course should mean rates are due. Mine on the other hand isn't habitable as there is no building there that can or is habitable so why do I have to pay as I am unable to benefit from the rates that I am paying there until a time that I can live there, so as I said, the council is getting over $1000 from me for nothing.
I could understand if I had a shed or a sleepout on there but I haven't and they even set the covenants on the title to say I can't place temporary accommodation on there whilst the house is being built so in my opinion I have a valid argument.

Pulaski

Your local council's "statement" is a generic explanation that applies to the overwhelming majority of property owners who ask the question "why am I paying rates?" But the statement is not the law, it is only an explanation of the law in layman's terms.

The fact if the matter is that you pay a tax (rates), based on a valuation of the property (land plus "improvements", if any), whether or not you live on the land. Full stop.

SSky

It sucks but any land is taxed and you do have to pay it escapedtonz, yours seems high for a bare piece of land but I'm basing that on only my own experience of land rates here in Canterbury.
Are they thinking you already are living on the land?

escapedtonz

No I don't think they do.
The council only approved the separate title in March 2016, only gave building consent early July 2016 and an officer visits often at each stage of the build to sign it off so they know full well we aren't living there as there isn't anything to live in.
Yes it is a lot of money just for the value of the land.
We are now dreading what the final rates bill is going to be once the house is built and we are living there, because if it remains to be a similar percentage we won't be living there long as we'll not be able to afford the annual rates

SSky

Sounds like you're paying full rates, I did a little search of rates in Blenheim and they weren't bad. You can do a search of other properties around your land address yourself and see what other folk are paying.