Request to Amend Rating Information Database
This form is to be used when you believe that information held in the Rating Information Database is incorrect and needs reviewing.
Any changes will only be made once all relevant information has been received.
Once we have received your completed form you can expect to be notified of the result of your enquiry within 10 working days. If you require any further assistance with this form, please contact our Customer Services Team on 07 878 0800.
Request to Amend Rating Information Database Information:
Ratepayer Name
If the ownership/ratepayer name recorded in the Rating Information Database is incorrect, please detail the correct ownership/ratepayer name above, in the space provided under Section C and provide documentation that supports your information. For example – the Certificate of Title for the property concerned or for Māori Freehold Land, a copy of the lease documents. We are unable to change the ratepayer name without a copy of Certificate of Title or Lease document.
Legal Description
If the legal description of the property is incorrect, please detail the correct legal description above, in the space provided under Section C and provide documentation that supports your information (for example – the Certificate of Title for the land concerned).
Annual Rates Assessment (Rates Levied)
If you think that the rates charged on your property are incorrect, please clearly detail which rates you think have been charged incorrectly above, in the space provided under Section C and why you think your rates assessment should be changed. Details of how each rate is assessed is detailed in the rates newsletter, which is enclosed with your first instalment of rates each year. If you would like a copy of this, please contact our Customer Services Team. Alternatively you can visit our website www.waitomo.govt.nz and review the Funding Impact Statement within this year’s Annual Plan for more information on how rates are assessed.
Improvements
The nature of the improvements on a property are given in abbreviated form. Common abbreviations are listed below:
B/RD HSE - Boarding House
OBS - Other Buildings
BLDG - Building
OI - Other Improvements
INCOMP DWG - Incomplete Dwelling
PT FLR - Part Floor
GGE - Garage
FG - Fencing
OB - Other Building
DWG - Dwelling
PT BLDG - Part Building
If your improvement description is incorrect, please clearly describe all the improvements on the property above, in the space provided under Section C and provide any supporting evidence eg; aerial photo, documentation relating to dwellings/buildings that have been removed/demolished or built.
Postal Address
If you wish to update the postal address held in the Rating Information Database, please detail the new address above, in the space provided under Section C.
Area
If the area of the property is incorrect, please detail what you think the correct area is above, in the space provided under Section C and provide supporting documentation that supports your area (for example – the Certificate of Title for the land concerned).
Property Location
If the location of the Rating Unit is incorrect, please detail the correct location above, in the space provided under Section C and provide an item of supporting evidence that details the properties location.
Separately Used/Inhabited Parts (SUIP’s)
Council sets some rates on the basis of each separately used or inhabited part. If you think that the Rating Information Database holds the wrong information about the number of separately used parts on your property, please clearly describe the parts of your property above, in the space provided under Section C and attach any supporting documentation as appropriate.
Council has adopted a guideline for defining what constitutes a separate part, which is summarised below.
Definition of SUIP
‘A separately used or occupied part of a rating unit includes any part of a rating unit that is used or occupied by any person, other than the ratepayer, having a right to use or inhabit that part by virtue of a tenancy, lease, licence, or other agreement, or any part or parts of a rating unit that are used or occupied by the ratepayer for more than one single use. As a minimum, the land or premises intended to form the separately used or inhabited part of the rating unit must be capable of actual habitation or actual separate use. For the avoidance of doubt, a rating unit that has only one use (i.e. does not have separate parts or is vacant land) is treated as being one separately used or inhabited part.’
Residential
Each separately habitable unit will count as separate units for the purposes of assessing any rate calculated on the basis of a SUIP. For the unit to be considered separately habitable it must be connected to water and sewerage, have kitchen facilities (including a means of cooking), and have sleeping arrangements.
Business
Commercial premises that contain separate shops, kiosks or other retail or wholesale outlets, each of which are operated as separate businesses or are capable of operation as a separate business, will attract a rate on each separately used or inhabited office, shop, kiosk or other retail or wholesale outlet.
Mixed Use
Residential properties that are partially used for business - the number of parts will equal the number of residential units plus 1 for each business use e.g. a house with a hairdressing salon contains 2 parts, as does a house and doctor's surgery. For the business to be considered a separate use, the rating unit in question must be the business's standard "place of business". Please note that you may declare annually that your rating unit (or part of) will remain vacant or is occupied by a small scale business for any given rating year. These declarations must be received annually and in advance by Council by 31 May each year and will be effective for the following rating year beginning 1 July.
Rating Units in Common Ownership
Section 20 of the Local Government Rating Act (2002) details that two or more rating units must be treated as one for setting a rate if those units are:
a) owned by the same person or persons; and
b) used jointly as a single unit; and
c) contiguous or separated only by a road, railway, drain, water race, river, or stream.
If you have more than one rating unit that satisfy the criteria above and are not currently being rated as one unit, please detail the valuation numbers and describe how the units are used jointly above, in the space provided under Section C and also provide evidence that the properties are adjoining and that the ownership is the same. (Please note that rates charged on the basis of Separately Used/Inhabited Part (SUIP) will still be levied on properties that have a dwelling).
Council also has a remission policy for properties used jointly, where the definitions of ownership and contiguous land have been extended to include properties that might not be adjoining or be under the same ownership, but are used jointly as a single unit. Application forms and the Rates Remission Policy are available on our website www.waitomo.govt.nz or from our Customer Services Team. (Please note that properties with a dwelling are not eligible for remission).
Property Values
Whenever a property is revalued (usually due to a building consent or subdivision or General Revaluation of the District), ratepayers will receive a valuation notice advising the new values for the property and at this time you have until the date detailed on the valuation notice to object to the value of the property. To do this you will need to complete a Rating Valuation Objection form which is available from our Website www.waitomo.govt.nz or from our Customer Services Team.
If an error has been identified regarding the area of land or improvements on your property, the value will be reviewed to ensure that it is correct and if it is not, an error and omission will be processed to enable our Valuation Service Provider, Quotable Value, to correct the values. In this scenario you will also receive a valuation notice advising what the corrected values are and you will have until the date detailed on the valuation notice to advise your objection, if you have any.
Outside of these processes your only option to have your property revalued is to request a new valuation under Section 16 of the Rating Valuations Act 1998. Under this process the costs of the valuation are payable by the applicant and this may need to be paid before undertaking the valuation. Your request must be supplied to Council in writing and should include the following information:
• Your Name
• Postal Address
• Contact Phone Number
• Property Address
• The reason for the review
• What you feel the rateable value should be