Never Paid Local Property Tax

Duffryman

Yes, I know we're bold people. But here's the story...

My wife and I began building our home in 2013 and it was late 2014 when we moved in (around October). We'd only rented before, so we were never liable for Local Property Tax, and in all the goings-on as regards building and moving, etc. - not to mention how we just didn't know what the process was - we never did a thing nor heard anything about Local Property Tax.

I know that ignorance of the law is no defence, but I guess that we just reckoned that sooner or later, we'd just hear something from the Council about it, and get a demand for payment. But it never happened and I understand now that you're actually supposed to register yourself.

Has anyone got any experience or knowledge of a similar situation, so they might be able to give some advice on how 'understanding' a Council might be as regards paying off the arrears in instalments, for example?



Or even how to register a property in the first place? The website just seems to have a log-in place for people who are already registered.


Thanks.

niallb

The council aren't the people to be worried about.
You owe this money to the Revenue Commissioners.

To be fair, they're well used to people owing them a few bob, and can be very
constructive at coming to a reasonable arrangement to allow you catch up on the amount owed.

You should get in touch though, because if they contact you you're that more likely to
get hit with interest (8% p.a.) and fines for late payment.

Do you have a PPS number and a login on ROS or MyAccount at revenue.ie ?

Try this page and best of luck!

https://revenue.ie/en/contact-us/index.aspx

There's some info here on what years you'll be liable for and other details:
https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/local-property-tax/who-is-liable-for-lpt-and-or-household-charge/index.aspx

relax carry on

Duffryman wrote: »

Yes, I know we're bold people. But here's the story...

My wife and I began building our home in 2013 and it was late 2014 when we moved in (around October). We'd only rented before, so we were never liable for Local Property Tax, and in all the goings-on as regards building and moving, etc. - not to mention how we just didn't know what the process was - we never did a thing nor heard anything about Local Property Tax.

I know that ignorance of the law is no defence, but I guess that we just reckoned that sooner or later, we'd just hear something from the Council about it, and get a demand for payment. But it never happened and I understand now that you're actually supposed to register yourself.

Has anyone got any experience or knowledge of a similar situation, so they might be able to give some advice on how 'understanding' a Council might be as regards paying off the arrears in instalments, for example?



Or even how to register a property in the first place? The website just seems to have a log-in place for people who are already registered.


Thanks.

It's Revenue not the council.

https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/local-property-tax/is-your-property-liable-lpt/what-is-a-liable-property-for-lpt.aspx

From your dates above it looks like you aren't liable for LPT yet depending if the property was a residential property on 01/05/13. Contact the LPT section to confirm.

niallb

relax carry on wrote: »

...

From your dates above it looks like you aren't liable for LPT yet depending if the property was a residential property on 01/05/13. Contact the LPT section to confirm.

You may well be right. Very good point!
OP, sure there wasn't even a roof on your house on 1st May 2013 :-)

Duffryman

Thanks folks. This is actually a huge weight off my mind.

I got this from the Revenue website that Relax Carry On gave the link for:
A property is liable for Local Property Tax (LPT) if it is a residential property on the valuation date of 1 May 2013.

Even allowing for how I actually got the years wrong in my first post (we started building in late 2012, and moved in late 2013), this definitely wasn't a residential property on the 1st of May that year.

I also see this: The current valuation period runs from 1 May 2013 until 31 December 2019.

So, I take it that any houses completed after 1st of May in 2013 don't actually become liable for property tax until 1st of January, 2020? I'd have thought that they became liable immediately when finished, like I thought ours must have been.

And if that's the case, I'd say there were very few houses nearing completion in early 2013 that weren't actually 'finished' until the 2nd or 3rd of May...officially anyway!!

Thanks again.

Duffryman

By the way, shows how little I knew about it that I assumed it would be the County Council we'd be dealing with, and not Revenue themselves...