Explaining your rates

Rate notices have now been distributed to all ratepayers within the City of South Perth.

Most property owners will have noticed a reduction on last year’s rates amount, however, a small percentage will have a received an increase.

It is important to understand that there are a number of factors that impact the way individual rates are calculated.

Rates are calculated by multiplying the Gross Rental Value (GRV) of a rateable property with a rate in the dollar. The GRV (determined by Landgate) is the amount a property might reasonably be expected to earn if it was rented, while the rate in the dollar is the amount calculated by the City to meet its budget requirements.

Every three years the State Government revalues properties across Perth, which can result in changes to the GRV of individual rateable properties. This year is a revaluation year.

On average there has been an almost 14% reduction in valuations across the City of South Perth, however, some property values have increased significantly. It’s the redistribution of these valuations against each other that affects what an individual ratepayer's Council rate charge will be.

Council delivered a 1% reduction on the total rates revenue collected by the City* as part of the 2020/21 Annual Budget.

Although the overall rates revenue has been reduced by 1%, as a result of the GRV reduction, the rate in the dollar had to be increased to generate the required (reduced) rate revenue.

For some ratepayers, rates will have increased even if their GRV has reduced or stayed the same. Overall, three in four ratepayers will pay less and one in four will pay more as a result of the GRV revaluation.

Acknowledging that some of our ratepayers are experiencing financial hardship, Council has adopted a Financial Hardship Assistance policy along with other measures contained in the City of South Perth Local Community Response and Relief Package.

These measures are designed to provide further assistance and support for those facing demonstrable financial hardship.

For more information on your rates, please visit the About My Rates page. 

*excluding growth