It's important that you pay your rates on time or contact us if you're having difficulty paying. The City offers weekly or fortnightly direct debit, or a suitable self-managed payment plan.
In the Special Council Meeting June 28, 2023, Council agreed to a five per cent (5%) per annum penalty interest charge to accrue daily on all overdue rates and specified area rates.
Emergency service levy (ESL) penalty interest will be accruing daily at eleven per cent (11%) per annum on all overdue ESL charges as determined by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).
If the amount shown as payable in respect of rates and charges is not paid in full, or the first instalment is not paid by the due date, the full amount will become overdue and may be recovered by court action (general procedure claim, which if ignored, may be followed by a Property Seizure and Sale Order).
If a General Procedure Claim is issued against you, all legal fees incurred will be added to your property's outstanding balance, and the default is registered by the Magistrates Court to the credit reporting agencies within Australia where the details are shown for a period up to five years.
See the Rates Legal Recovery Steps(open in new window) and Rates Legal Recovery - Guidelines(open in new window) for more information.
If you are having difficulty paying your account, you may prefer to make smaller regular payments by setting up a direct debit to allow you to pay from your bank account weekly or fortnightly.
Alternatively you may wish to set up an individual payment arrangement.
Register for our Online Services Portal(open in new window) to submit your direct debit request online, or set up a self-managed payment plan. Alternatively, you can contact the City's Rating Services team on 08 9267 9160 to request a direct debit application to be emailed or mailed or negotiate a payment plan.