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  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Property and housing
    3. A guide to rates
    4. Your rate bill
    Colour banner for pages about paying rates on your home
    Banner on a guide to rates pages

    Occupying and leaving a property

    When you move home, you should tell Land & Property Services (LPS) immediately about the change in property ownership or occupancy. If LPS doesn't know about the change, you might receive a rate bill for the property after the date you moved.

    Rates assessment

    LPS issues domestic rate bills at the beginning of April each year. Your rate bill is based on rates assessed for the rating year, from  1 April until 31 March the following year.  

    To assess rates correctly, LPS needs accurate information about ownership or property changes.

    Changes in ownership or occupancy

    When the person responsible for paying the rates changes during the rating year,   LPS will reassess the rates.  You will be billed for the period you own or live in the property.

    To avoid a backdated rate bill, you should tell LPS immediately a change takes place. You can use an online form to give LPS this updated information. When they get this information, they can send you a new rate bill. You can use this online form for domestic rate accounts only. 

    • Create or update your rate account

    Changes to owners or occupiers in rental properties

    To report owner or occupier changes to rental or non-domestic properties, contact LPS:

    • telephone: 0300 200 7801
    • text relay: 18001 0300 200 7801

    Empty homes

    Property rates are payable on all domestic properties, including empty homes, with a capital value of £20,000 or more. The amount due is the same if the property is empty or occupied.

    In certain circumstances, there are automatic and application based exclusions that benefit from 100 per cent rate relief.

    • Rating of empty homes

    More useful links

    • Set up a Direct Debit online for rates
    • Change the billing address for your rate bill
    • Rate Rebate Scheme
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    Your rate bill

    • Calculate your estimated rate bill
    • Complaining to Land & Property Services
    • Getting a rates refund
    • How rate bills are calculated
    • Introducing your rate bill
    • Make changes online to a landlord rate account
    • Make changes to your rate account
    • Occupying and leaving a property
    • Properties you pay rates on
    • Rating of empty homes
    • Request a copy of your rate bill
    • Sign up for rates
    • What happens if you can't pay your rates
    • What happens if you don't pay your rates
    • What rates pay for
    • When a ratepayer has died
    • When you think your rate bill is too high

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    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

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