When selling your property

If you have sold your rural or semi-rural property (or have sub-divided) it’s a good idea to call Council so we can make sure the water rates are charged to the right person. When a property is sold, Council receives a ‘sales notice’ from Quotable Value NZ (QV) so it can transfer the rating responsibilities for the property to the new owner. This is usually a straightforward process.

Issues can occur where a property is under more than one title and these titles are split up between owners as part of the sales or subdivision process - which is more likely to be the case with rural or semi-rural properties.

Water rates are allocated to specific titles based on historic information. The sales notice Council receives from QV does not include information on whether the title or titles sold still have a physical water supply connection located on them.

This means that following a land sale or subdivision, water rates may be charged to someone with a property that is not actually connected to Council’s water supply. In other cases, a property owner may end up paying rates for water that is supplying both their own property and the neighbouring property. Once your property has sold, it is therefore a good idea to let us know. That way we can make sure the water rates go to the right place.