Guide · property documents

How to get a copy of your council rates notice

Your council issues it, and almost every council in Australia lets you view and download current and past notices through an online portal. Failing that, phone or email them with the property address and the owner's name and ask for a copy. Your managing agent or conveyancer will also hold one.

Three ways to get one today

1
Your council's online portal.Search your council's name plus "rates" and look for an online rates or property account. Most let you register with the assessment number from an old notice, or with the property address and your name, and download current and historical notices immediately.
2
Phone or email the council.Give the property address and the owner's name exactly as it appears on the title. Most councils will email a copy the same day. This is the fastest route if you have never set up an online account.
3
Whoever already holds one.Your conveyancer from the purchase, your property manager if the place is tenanted, or your accountant if the rates are claimed as a deduction. Any of them can usually forward it within the day.

What the figures on it mean

A rates notice carries several numbers and only some of them are what people assume. The important distinction is between a statutory valuation and a market value.

What it shows	What it means
Assessment or property number	The council's identifier for the property. Useful when you phone them about anything.
Registered owner and address	Who the council believes owns it. This is what makes the notice useful as evidence of ownership.
Site value / land value	A statutory valuation of the land alone, ignoring buildings. Used for rating and, in some states, land tax.
Capital improved value	A statutory valuation of land and buildings together. Struck by mass appraisal, often one to two years old.
Rates levied and balance	What is charged for the year and what remains unpaid. The balance is the line a lender looks at.

Neither statutory valuation is what your property would sell for. They are produced in bulk, at a date set by legislation rather than by the market, for the purpose of apportioning rates fairly between properties. They can sit well above or well below market. No lender lends against them, and you should not plan around them either.

Why a lender asks for it

It answers three questions in one document: who owns the property, exactly which property it is, and whether council rates are outstanding. The third is the one that matters most and is least understood. In most Australian states, unpaid council rates are a charge on the land and rank ahead of ordinary mortgages — so a rates arrears balance sits in front of a lender in a way that almost nothing else does.

That is why arrears are worth mentioning early rather than hiding. They are routinely paid out of the advance at settlement so the position is clean, which costs nothing and takes no extra time. What costs time is discovering them the day before settlement.

The complete document list, for context

For conditional approval here, the rates notice is one of only three documents: photo identification, the council rates notice for the security property, and your most recent mortgage statement if there is a loan on it. Not on the list at any stage: tax returns, BAS, financial statements, bank statements, a valuation or a business plan. What the application actually asks for sets it out in full.

If the number was not the whole problem

A rates notice is usually being chased for a reason — a loan application, a refinance, or a settlement with a date on it — and the reason is more often than not that money is needed before the date arrives.

If you are reading this because money is tight, it may be that what you actually need is fast business finance — and HomeSec can lend with very few qualification criteria. All you need is sufficient equity in real estate and a business purpose: no financials, no valuation, no credit score threshold, funded in as little as 24 hours from a clean, complete scenario. Best of all, the first six months can come with no requirement to make any payment.

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Questions people ask alongside this one

Where do I find a copy of my council rates notice?

Your council. Almost every Australian council has an online portal where you can view and download current and past notices, and most can email a copy on request if you give them the property address and your name as it appears on the rates record. If your rates are paid through your mortgage or by an agent, the notice still exists in your name at the council and they will send it to you.

My property manager pays the rates. Can I still get the notice?

Yes. The rates record is in the owner's name, so the council will provide it to you as the registered owner. Your managing agent will also hold a copy and can usually forward it within a day.

Does it matter if the notice is not the most recent one?

A notice from the current rating year is what is normally wanted. An older one still establishes ownership and the property description, but the valuation figures on it will be out of date and the rates position will not reflect anything paid since.

Why does a lender want the rates notice at all?

Three things at once: it confirms who the registered owner is, it identifies the property precisely, and it shows whether council rates are up to date. Rates in arrears are a charge on the land in most states and rank ahead of ordinary mortgages, so an unpaid rates balance is one of the few things that can sit in front of a lender on a title.

Is the value on the rates notice what my property is worth?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A rates notice shows a statutory valuation — site value, capital improved value or similar depending on the state — struck by a valuer-general for rating purposes, at a date that may be one to two years old, using a mass-appraisal method. It is not a market appraisal and lenders do not lend against it. It is useful as a sanity check and nothing more.

What if my rates are in arrears?

Say so on the first call rather than letting it be discovered. Arrears are usually dealt with at settlement, paid from the advance so the title is clean — that is routine and it does not stop a loan. What causes problems is finding out about it the day before settlement.

Can I use a land tax notice or a water rates notice instead?

Sometimes, and it depends what is missing. A land tax assessment or a water authority notice can help confirm ownership, but the council rates notice is the standard document because it covers ownership, identification and the rates position together. Ask before you spend time chasing an alternative.

What if I have just bought the property and have not received one?

Your conveyancer's settlement statement and the contract of sale will do in the interim, and the council can issue a notice in your name once the transfer is registered. Tell us the situation and we will tell you what we can work with.

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Reviewed by Catriona Anderson, General Manager