FAQs

You can contact us to find out how much your rates are, or search on Local Maps.

Yes, click here to sign up to recieve your rates invoices by email. If you have already signed up, and would no longer like to receive your rates by email you can opt out using the same form.

Local Maps is designed to provide public access (especially for ratepayers) to District and Regional Council information. It provides aerial photos of the region as well as Property Search, Rating Information database, and Rating Valuation functions.

Stratford District Council has an agreement with the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) to collect rates on the TRC’s behalf.

Our role in this matter is as a collection agency only. If you have any queries regarding the Regional Council rates or services, please direct them to the Taranaki Regional Council, phone (06) 765 7127.

The following penalties on unpaid rates will be applied:

• A charge of 10% on so much of any instalment that has been assessed after 1 July and which remains unpaid after the due date for that instalment.
• A charge of 10% on so much of any rates levied before 1 July which remain unpaid on 10 July or such later date as required under Section 58 (1)(b)(ii).
• A continuing additional penalty of 10% on so much of any rates levied before 1 July which remain unpaid six months after the previous penalty was added.

These penalties are pursuant to Section 57 and 58 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

Penalties imposed are exempt from GST.

Ratepayers are reminded that payments must be received in the Council Office by 4:30pm on the final payment date.

Stratford District Council takes no responsibility for delays in the mail service or for the circumstances beyond Council's control.

A rating valuation is a three-yearly assessment of a property's value and is determined by house sale prices on a specific date. We use these valuations as a guide for setting your rates.

Quotable Value (Council’s valuation service provider) determines the value by looking at the selling price of similar properties in the area.

A few weeks after revaluations are done, you will receive a rates valuation notice in the post. If you disagree with the value, you can object.

A property value is made up of three parts:

• Capital value (CV) - The most likely selling price at the date of valuation. The CV is also known as Government valuation (GV) or Rateable value (RV).
• Land value (LV) - The most likely selling price of the vacant land at the date of valuation.
• Improvement value (IV) - The added value of improvements to the vacant land. This is calculated as CV minus LV. The IV is not an assessment of the replacement cost and should not be used for insurance purposes.

No, part of a property’s rates are based on the capital value of the property. Changes in the valuation can result in changes to the rates on an individual property. Council does not collect more rates as a result of increased property values or less rates if values decrease. But your property’s new value will help determine the share of the total rate revenue you pay.

People often think that an increase or decrease in valuation will automatically result in an increase or decrease in rates. Many people also think that an increase in the district’s values will mean that the Council gets more money. These are misconceptions.

The way that it works is that Council decides through its planning processes how much money it needs to undertake the services that it will provide for the next twelve months. Having worked out that total, it then calculates the proposed rates by dividing the district’s Capital Value into the total dollars that it needs. If the valuation of the district has increased over the last year, the rate in the dollar falls and vice versa.