South Wairarapa District Council has begun house-hunting in its three main towns _ seeking out hidden rating opportunities, though that’s not quite in the way officials are spinning it.
In a district-wide letter to homeowners, council chief executive Janice Smith explains the project to seek out SUIP (Separately Used or Inhabitable Parts – second dwellings on properties) rather more airily.
SWDC “will be undertaking a physical review of property information to build on the data provided to us by Quotable Value (QV) in relation to Separately Used or Inhabited Part (SUIPs). This information is a critical tool that Councils use to set rates,” she wrote mid-September.
So, she continued, don’t be alarmed by council staff peering over the fence and staring up the driveway as they check for hidden dwellings during their “physical inspection (of) urban properties in Greytown, Martinborough and Featherston during September and October.”
In case readers missed the letter, it details the inspection process this way:
- Inspections will commence from the end of September for approximately 4,500 urban properties across South Wairarapa;
- Data collectors will carry photo ID, wear fluorescent coloured vests, be travelling on foot or via a SWDC-branded vehicle and be easily identifiable as SWDC staff members. Please say hello if you see them;
- No photos of people will be taken. Photos will only be taken of a building or structure that has not previously reflected in our records;
- We expect that for many properties, we can inspect from the street to check the information is accurate. If we need to check your backyard if not viewable from the street, we will knock on your door for permission. If you do not approve of us entering your property, or it’s identified that improvements have been made to your property that are not previously reflected in our records, we will require some additional information from you in the form of a statutory declaration which will be posted to your address following the initial inspection.”
Councillors recently directed the search-for-rating-opportunities as being part of their responsibility to ensure data accuracy, fairness and equity for ratepayers, Smith noted.
The council is already rating 560 SUIPs, a new rating tool being wheeled out by councils across New Zealand.
Some local ratepayers have not reacted well to the “review.” Some asked questions, like:
“Can your staff legally demand information of ratepayers like this, while standing on their doorstep?
“What happens if they are told to leave immediately?
“Can council require statutory declarations from ratepayers? Under what authority?
“Why search for hidden SUIPs in urban areas and not also on rural properties?
“How long will it take council staff to knock on 4,500 doors _ and what happens to their other work meantime?
One was unhappy: “The whole thing is blatantly ridiculous.”
And: “Do they not understand how incendiary this is _ especially after yet another hefty rates increase (200% for some SUIP-registered ratepayers)?”
The issue arises as the council also considers another house-hunting project: finding a new office premises for its staff to replace the slowly rotting “heritage” building currently in use.
