Property valuations FAQs
The Gross Rental Value (GRV) is an assessment of the gross rental that a property might reasonably be expected to earn annually if it were rented, including rates, taxes, insurance and other outgoings. For non-residential properties, GST is also included by the Valuer General in the GRV assessment.?
The Valuer General undertakes a Revaluation of all GRVs periodically – every 3 years in the greater Perth metro area. GRVs currently in use became effective on 1 July 2023.
The size of the dwelling (i.e. one storey or two), the number and types of rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry, study etc.), other buildings such as garages and sheds, the location of the property, the age of the house, and whether there is a below ground swimming pool are all factors that will affect the Gross Rental Value of a property assessed by the Valuer General.
The Valuer General provides the City with values for all properties within the City of Swan, either a GRV or UV depending on the predominant land usage. This value is then multiplied by either the GRV or UV rate in the dollar determined by Council each year at budget time to calculate rates for each individual property, subject to the annual Minimum Rate.
For more information about Gross Rental Value (GRV), please visit the Landgate website - Gross Rental Value (GRV)(open in new window).
Unimproved Value, or UV, is the value of land only. It does not include the value of your home, other structures or improvements. For land within the metropolitan area the UV does include merged improvements such as drainage, levelling and filling.
Where the land is predominately used for rural purposes and a livelihood is derived from the land, the land is assessed on the value of the site without improvements. UV properties are revalued every year. The Minister for Local Government determines whether GRV or UV is appropriate. Valuations are carried out by the Valuer General at Landgate.
The Valuer General provides the City with values for all properties within the City of Swan, either the GRV or UV depending on predominant land usage. This value is then multiplied by either the GRV or UV rate in the dollar determined by council to calculate rates for each individual property.
For more information about Unimproved Value (UV), please visit the Landgate website - Unimproved Value (UV)(open in new window).
Council is able to set a minimum amount payable for properties in its district, which is greater than the general rate which would otherwise be payable on that land.
In broad terms, this is the total amount of revenue the City needs to raise for the financial year. This is then divided by the total value of all rateable properties. The resulting figure is called ‘the rate in the dollar’.
The City of Swan offers a farmland differential rating category which relates to land where the predominant purpose for which it is held or used is farmland.
The Farmland differential rate applies to all properties carrying out farming activities in line with the City's Farmland Guidelines. It is intended that this differential rate will foster and encourage farming and horticultural activities.
If you think your property may be eligible, please complete the farmland rating category application and guidelines (within 42 days of the rate notice issue date).
For more information please read the farmland rating category application and guidelines above, or contact the City.
The City's 'Unimproved Value (UV) Rate Review 2017' has been deferred until the review of the Local Government Act 1995 (the Act) is legislated.
The impacts of the legislation on the UV rate review will be communicated to residents and ratepayers following Council approval.
Landowners can still request a review of the method of valuation if the predominant use of their land has changed and they would like to transition from UV to Gross Rental Value (GRV) or vice-versa, as per the current legislation.
The Valuer General undertakes revaluations in the greater Perth metropolitan area as follows:
- Gross Rental Valuations – every three (3) years. The most recent Revaluation became effective on July 1, 2023.
- Unimproved Valuations – every year
If you have made major improvements to your land, such as building a new house, or minor additions to an existing house, or a new garage, or installing a swimming pool, your property will be revalued by the Valuer General. This may affect your rates. The same applies when any existing buildings have been demolished.
If you believe that the valuation assessed for your property is incorrect, you may lodge an objection with the Valuer General. Valuations – GRV or UV – are assessed by the Valuer General under the provisions of the Valuation of Land Act 1978, and are used by Local Governments as the basis for calculating rates.
For more information, please visit the Objecting to your Valuation page.
Sections 6.32 and 6.33 of the Local Government Act 1995 authorises Local Governments to impose rates either uniformly or differentially.
The City of Swan applies differential rates, based on property use, by taking into account the levels of services provided to different types of properties, the cost of providing services to certain types of properties, as well as the need to encourage certain types of activities in the City.
- Non-rural properties may be categorised as residential, commercial/industrial or heavy industry.
- Rural properties may be categorised as general, commercial or farmland.
- There are also sub-categories for industrial and commercial categories.
Differential rates are reviewed every year as part of the annual budget process. After three years of no rate increases, the City of Swan Council adopted to increase rates revenue compared to 2023/24 by 3.5 per cent to continue to deliver high quality services and projects for our rapidly growing community.
Differential rates are also affected by property revaluations conducted by the Valuer General’s Office at Landgate(open in new window).
If you believe that the rate type assigned to your property is not correctly describing the use of the land, for example, if you are charged commercial/industrial rates but the property's use is strictly residential, you may lodge an objection to the Rate Book within 42 days of the rate notice issue date.
For more information, please visit the Objecting to your Valuation page.