What is the Department's procedure on site visits?
- The Department's procedures on site visits is that whenever a Certificate of Completion and Occupancy is issued by the Planning Department, the Department will create a case, where necessary, and inspect the property. Written notification of the inspection will be sent to the taxpayer. The site visit gives the Department the opportunity to update its records on the property and pick up any changes that may have taken place which the Department was previously unaware of. If no changes have been made, then no further action will be taken and no proposal(s) to alter the Valuation List will be served (see Revaluation of properties – maintaining the valuation list page).
Why would you need internal access to my residential property if the measurements are gathered on a Gross External Basis?
- Internal access may be required for a residential property for a multitude of reasons including: to identify the wall separation between valuation units, to obtain exact measurements of units especially if the property is built into a hillside or rock cut, to ascertain the quality of accommodation contained within a residence i.e. whether certain areas of a property are living accommodation or storage quality, for example.
Will photographs of my property be taken?
- Yes. It is necessary for photographs to be taken of each external elevation of the property which aids the Valuation Survey Technician in the drawing process and calculation of the Gross External Area and assists the Valuer when carrying out the assessment of the valuation unit. Photographic evidence is part of the survey and like all other information collected by the Department, is private, confidential and not shared with any other Government Department or third party. Photographs also allow the Department to document the state of repair of a property at a certain point in time or the progress of a building project.