Rates and Properties

Across Australia, Local Governments deliver critical community services such as building and maintaining road infrastructure, collecting and processing waste and other community-focused activities and projects. While the delivery (size, amount and frequency) of these services and activities can change, they must be annually funded by Local Government.

Each year, the Shire of Denmark raises funds to cover the cost of those services and activities through the following means: Grants and contributions, fees and charges, rates and other.

For many Local Governments, ratepayers pay for more than 50% of the annual operating budget, but in the Shire of Denmark, we work hard to generate other revenue streams to keep rates as low as possible.

Your Annual Rates Notice

Each year, your Rates Notice is issued following an extensive budget building process which includes public consultation.

A Rating Proposal is made publicly available during the consultation process before Council votes to adopt the rates for the upcoming Financial Year.

In 2023/24, the following information is relevant to your Rates Notice:

Rates Notices are issued to ratepayers via mail, or electronically via email upon request.

Pay Your Rates

How Rates are Calculated

Rates are calculated by multiplying a rate in the dollar (set by Council) by your property valuation, as supplied by the WA State Government Landgate, Property & Valuation Services Department. Council sets the rate in the dollar as part of each year’s budget process.

The Local Government rate charge is calculated as follows:

Valuation * Rate in the $ expressed as a percentage

Example one:

Valuation = $10,000 and the rate in the $ = 10.0000 cents

Shire rate charge = $1,000 [$10,000 * 10.0000%]

Example two:

Valuation = $400,000 and the rate in the $ = 0.5000 cents

Shire rate charge = $2,000 [$400,000 * 0.5000%]

If the minimum payment is higher than the rate charge, then the minimum payment replaces the rate charge.

Pay My Rates

How Do I Pay?

Payments to the Shire of Denmark can be made using the following options:

Online
Cloud Payment Hubb (manage your rates, custom installments and contact details)
BPay (biller code 134 460, your reference is printed on your notice)
Post Billpay (via any Australia Post outlet or Australia Post mobile app)
Cheque or Money Order (mail to Shire of Denmark, PO Box 183, Denmark, WA, 6333)
Pay Over the Phone (call 1300 025 249 to pay with your credit card)
- Credit card payments made over the phone will incur a 1% surcharge at time of payment.
In Person (visit Shire of Denmark Administration Centre, 953 South Coast Highway, Denmark, WA, to pay with cash, cheque or EFTPOS)
- Only Mastercard and Visa are accepted.
- Credit card payments made in person will incur a 1% surcharge at time of payment.
- Currently the Shire of Denmark does not offer Centrelink's Centrepay system.

Installment Options:

Rates can be paid by one of of the following two instalment plan options:

The two-instalment option requires payments in September and January
The four instalment option payments are due in September, November, January and March

An instalment fee is payable and the first instalment must be paid by the September due date on your notice

Frequently Asked Question: What Happens if I Fail to Make a Payment?

The Shire charges interest at a rate of 11% per annum calculated daily on any outstanding balance not being paid in instalments (excluding registered pensioners and seniors).

Overdue rates and charges may be recovered by legal action, the cost of which will be payable by the ratepayer and be added to the rates assessment.

Frequently Asked Question: What if I can't Afford to Pay?

If you are unable to pay your rates due to financial hardship, you can apply to the Shire for a custom payment arrangement. An administration charge per property will apply for each plan, and interest will accrue daily on the balance of the overdue account, until it is fully paid.

Should there be any reason why a payment is not expected to be made in full by its due date, then please contact the Rates Officer as soon as possible to discuss the matter further.

If a payment is not paid in full by its due date and a customised payment arrangement is not entered into, then that amount falls into arrears and may be recovered through a court without further notice. Legal action to recover an unpaid second or third instalment will not occur until after the due date of the next instalment.

Costs of legal proceedings will be added to your account. If payment is not received for a period of three years or more, the Shire is permitted to take possession of the land.

Email My Rates

Ratepayers in the Shire of Denmark receive their Rates Notice in the mail unless a formal request is received for the Rates Notice to be delivered electronically.

If you would like to receive your Rates Notice and Instalment Notices by email, you must register (to do so, you will need your assessment number handy).

Once you register, an email will be sent to the nominated email address and with a confirmation link to complete your registration.

Before registering, please note:

If you own more than one property, you will need to register seperately for each property
Registration forms must be submitted 14 days before the annual Rates Notice is issued
Interim Rates Notices, Final Notices and other Shire-related correspondence will be issued by post
All properties are entitled to annual Tip Passes
Please read the Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions:

You agree to receive your rate notice and instalment notice via email. Interim rate notices and final notices will be issued by post.
You consent to receive the Shire of Denmark's Fire Management Notice, as issued under Section 33 of the Bush Fires Act 1954, via electronic communications.
You confirm you are the registered owner or agent of the above property.
If you own more than one property, you need to register separately for each property and you will receive separate email notifications for each of the registrations we receive.
If you change your eRates email address or postal address, you are required to notify the Shire of Denmark immediately.
Should the City receive an electronic delivery failure notification from your email address, the registration will be cancelled and a paper notice issued to the last advised postal address.
You can withdraw your consent for email delivery of the rate notice and fire management notice at any time. To unsubscribe, please email rates@denmark.wa.gov.au

Rebates and Financial Assistance

Pensioner and Seniors Rebates

If you are eligible for a rebate and have already registered with the Shire of Denmark, the rebate will be shown on your notice as 'State Government Rebate'.

The rebate is the amount provided by the State Government for a Pensioner, State Seniors, Commonwealth Seniors or State Concession Card holder.

If you are not registered, you will need to complete an application.

This can be done via Water Corporation:

Water Corporation will forward your application to the Shire of Denmark and you will be notified of any rebate allowed.

Alternatively, you can visit the Shire of Denmark Administration Office with your card/s and make an application.

Financial Hardship

The Shire of Denmark recognises that at times there could be cases of genuine financial hardship, where debtors will experience difficulty in paying fees, rates and service charges as they fall due.

The Shire of Denmark has adopted a Financial Hardship Policy with the purpose of allowing flexibility for payment of overdue Fees, Rates and Service Charges for debtors experiencing financial hardship.

The Shire will consider all circumstances whilst complying to our statutory responsibilities.

Make a Financial Hardship Application

Tip Pass Replacement Request

The Shire of Denmark has a new barcode system for tip passes, so now tip passes will be issued with a code unique to each property.

The code will allow for cancellation and reissuing of lost cards and will allow for better tracking of use.

Make a Tip Pass Request

Rates Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we pay rates?

Each year, the Shire of Denmark raises funds to cover the cost of those services and activities through the following means: Grants and contributions, fees and charges, rates and other.

How does the rating system work in the Shire of Denmark?

Basically, the value of your property (depending on where it is and what it’s used for) corresponds directly to the amount of the rates you’re required to pay. This is a differential rating system.

Each year we talk about a percentage when we’re talking about how much rates are going up. Does everyone's rates bill go up by the same amount?

Not necessarily. In the Shire of Denmark, the increase in total revenue from all six rating categories equals the percentage increase you hear about.

What does ‘rate in the dollar’ mean?

The percentage applied to the valuation to determine the rate amount. For example, if a property is valued at $10,000 and the ‘rate in the dollar’ for the relevant rating category is 10c, we will multiply the value ($10,000) by the rate in the dollar (10c) and the result will be the value of rates ($10,000 x 10c = $1000).

What does ‘minimum payment’ mean?

If your property’s calculated rate amount is lower than the minimum payment, you will be required to pay the minimum payment amount for your rating category. All Local Governments are required to have a minimum payment category to ensure fairness and equity for all ratepayers.

What do I do if I think my property has been listed under an incorrect rating category?

The sooner we have information about changes to rating categories, the better for the Shire’s budget formation, but property owners are able to advise us of changes at any time. Contact our Rates Officer to discuss this further.

How are my rates spent?

Your rates contribute towards the upkeep and maintenance of the Shire’s infrastructure including waste, roads, paths, parks, playgrounds and sporting facilities, as well as the many community services the Shire provides, such as the Denmark Public Library, Civic Centre, Denmark Recreation Centre, ranger services and comprehensive arts and events programs.

How do I change my name on the rate notice?

The name on the rate notice reflects the registered proprietor on the Certificate of Title for the relevant property.

If your name has changed on the Certificate of Title, please advise the Shire of Denmark of the change of name, within 21 days of the change. Your property record will only be updated once the change has been confirmed with Landgate.

Landgate forms and fees in relation to the change of your name on the Certificate of Title are available from Landgate’s website: Landgate forms and fees.

If the Shire of Denmark has not been informed of the transfer, then the new ownership will not be reflected on the rate notice.

How do I notify the Shire that my address has changed?

The name on the rate notice reflects the registered proprietor on the Certificate of Title for the relevant property.

If your name has changed on the Certificate of Title, please advise the Shire of Denmark of the change of name, within 21 days of the change.

Your property record will only be updated once the change has been confirmed with Landgate.

Landgate forms and fees in relation to the change of your name on the Certificate of Title are available from Landgate’s website: Landgate forms and fees.

If the Shire of Denmark has not been informed of the transfer, then the new ownership will not be reflected on the rate notice.

What do I need to do when selling my property?

Notify the Shire you have changed address and update your contact details via any of the following methods:

In person at the Shire of Denmark Administration Offices
In Writing to PO Box 183, Denmark WA 6333
By email to enquiries@denmark.wa.gov.au

You may be entitled to a refund. If you have a State Government Rebate, contact the Rates Officer.

Don't forget to transfer your pet registration/s to your new address.

How are my rates affected when building, consolidating, subdividing or demolishing my property?

Once a new property has been built, subdivided, consolidated or demolished, a new valuation will be issued from Landgate.

When the new valuation has been received, your rates could increase or, you may be entitled to a refund. An interim rate notice will be issued at this time.

Compulsory kerbside collections will be added to developed properties in town collection areas and tip passes will also be issued at that time.

For more information contact the Rates Officer.

How does property addressing work?

The Shire of Denmark worked closely with Landgate, Australia Post and emergency services organisations to introduce a property addressing system which numbers properties consecutively along a road with respect to the distance from the beginning of the road to each access point along that road.

With the update to the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4819:2011 “Rural and Urban Addressing”, the Shire of Denmark will continue to review property addressing to ensure compliance with that standard, thus enabling the precise location of a property in an emergency.

Can I request a copy of a Rates Notice?

There is a charge for copies of rate notices which can be requested for the current financial year only.

For previous financial years, the base stock onto which the notice is printed no longer exists.

You are welcome to request a history of the transactions for those prior years.

Fees and charges apply. For more information contact the Rates Officer.

What Happens if I Fail to Make a Payment?

The Shire charges interest at a rate of 11% per annum calculated daily on any outstanding balance not being paid in instalments (excluding registered pensioners and seniors).

Overdue rates and charges may be recovered by legal action, the cost of which will be payable by the ratepayer and be added to the rates assessment.

What if I can't Afford to Pay?

Should there be any reason why a payment is not expected to be made in full by its due date, then please contact the Rates Officer as soon as possible to discuss the matter further.

Costs of legal proceedings will be added to your account. If payment is not received for a period of three years or more, the Shire is permitted to take possession of the land.

Contact

If you need assistance from our Rates Officer, please contact the Shire on (08) 9848 0301 or rates@denmark.wa.gov.au.

Helpful Links

Land Sale for Unpaid Rates and Service Charges

The following land is for sale due to unpaid rates and service charges.

Notices are pursuant to Schedule 6.3 of the Local Government Act 1995 requiring payment of outstanding rates or service charges.

Form 4 - 101 Boat Harbour Road Parryville

Form 4 - 254 Silver Road Scotsdale

Form 4 - 856 Happy Valley Road Kordabup

More information or assistance please call (08) 9848 0301 or email rates@denmark.wa.gov.au.