I built a garage and a covered verandah in 1998 and never requested a Certificate of Completion and Occupancy and so my ARV has never been revised. What will happen when this comes to the attention of the Land Valuation Department?
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Once works do come to the attention of the Department, due to whatever reason, a case will be created and these works will result in a site visit and possibly a revision to the property's ARV which may be an increase or a decrease. The Department has to be fair and equitable to all properties on the Island and once works/additions are identified, these works/additions will be reflected, with a new ARV being determined.
I built a swimming pool in 2007 which never got reflected in my ARV. Can the Land Valuation Department back date the effective date of the ARV to the date of construction?
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No. Any changes to a property that have been picked up by the Department can only be back dated to the beginning of that calendar year (i.e. 1st January). The Department cannot serve a proposal to amend an ARV that goes back further.
I used to have a 4 bedroom house and I have internally converted it into a 3 bedroom house with a den. I presume my ARV will change and decrease?
- No, not unless the Gross External Area of the property has reduced as a result. ARVs are not based on how many bedrooms and bathrooms a property has, but are based on the Gross External Area plus ancillary areas and amenities, as highlighted elsewhere on the website (see Rationale for Valuation Methodology – Residential Properties page).
I am thinking of having an extension added to my property. Can the Land Valuation Department give me an estimate/idea of what the ARV will be on completion? If not, why not?
- No. The Department does not provide guestimates of ARVs based on 'what if scenarios'. Once the works are completed, the Department will conduct a site visit and survey. Furthermore, it is very common for properties not to be built to plan in Bermuda and so no guestimates can be given prior to the completion of a building project of what the final ARV may be.
I have 4 units in my property and I am going to merge them all to create 1 large single unit with all the necessary planning approvals. I presume my ARV on completion will just be the total of the 4 units prior?
- No, this is not the case. Multi-unit buildings and their valuation units are valued as apartments and at a slightly lesser rate than a single dwelling unit. Apartments are valued on a slightly lesser rate due to apartments having shared services, shared amenities, shared access and the added nuisance factor of being connected/within close proximity to other units. Single dwelling units do not have these issues and hence are valued at a slightly higher rate. The ARV as a single house will not be the aggregate total of the individual apartment ARVs.
I have recently installed solar panels, will my ARV change?
- The installation of solar panels alone will not change a property's ARV. However, when the Department does undertake its full site survey following the installation of solar panels, this gives the Department the opportunity to update its records and pick up any changes that have been made to the property that the Department were not previously aware of. However, if the records the Department has on a property are up to date and just solar panels are added with no other changes, then the ARV will not change.