Hills Council Rates: How to Read Your Notice and Check the Land Value

Start with the notice, not the total at the bottom

If you searched for Hills council rates because this year’s bill has jumped, begin by reading each line of the notice. Council rates are not one flat charge. A notice commonly separates the ordinary rate from fixed or service charges. The wording and amounts on your own notice are the figures that matter; do not rely on an old neighbour’s bill or a general online example.

What can change a Hills Shire rates bill?

A change can come from more than one place. Councils set their rates and charges through their annual process, while the land value used for rating is supplied through the NSW valuation system. Your property category, any service charges that apply, and a change to the land value can all affect the result. That is why comparing only last year’s total can send you down the wrong path.

• Check whether the ordinary rate, a fixed charge, or a service charge has changed.
• Check the property category printed on the notice.
• Find the land value and valuation date shown in your records or valuation notice.
• Keep both the current and previous notice so you can identify the actual difference.

Land value is not your home’s sale price

For NSW rating purposes, land value is the value of the land, not a valuation of the house, pool, renovation or other improvements. It is also not necessarily the price a buyer would pay for the whole property today. If the land value looks high, focus on comparable vacant-land sales and the valuation date rather than listing prices for improved homes.

A sensible way to check the land value

Pull together the valuation notice, your rates notice and a short list of genuinely comparable sales. The useful comparisons are nearby land with a similar size, zoning, access and development constraints, sold around the relevant valuation period. A larger renovated house down the road is usually not useful evidence of what your land alone was worth.

• Confirm the lot details and land area are correct.
• Note slope, easements, flood exposure, access issues or restrictions that affect the land.
• Separate land sales from sales of homes with substantial improvements.
• Record the sale date and why each sale is comparable or not comparable.

If you think the value is wrong, act on the valuation notice

The rates notice tells you what is due, but a land-value concern is usually addressed through the NSW valuation objection process. Read the objection information that came with the valuation notice and check the stated deadline. Do not wait for a later rates instalment before looking at it. An objection needs a clear reason and relevant evidence, not just a statement that the bill feels too high.

Pay the bill while you check your position

Keep the payment dates on the rates notice in view. Asking questions about a land value does not automatically change the due date or remove the need to deal with the notice. If payment will be difficult, contact The Hills Shire Council using the contact details on the notice and ask what arrangements may be available. Get any arrangement confirmed before you rely on it.