FAQs and About Your Rates

Gross Rental Value (GRV) is the yearly income the property would be expected to generate if rented. The valuation is provided and determined by the Valuer Generals Office and is updated every three years. The rental value for a house is influence by factors like age, construction, size, car shelters and pools. By analysing property rents against these individual attributes and characteristics it is possible to assess a valuation for all properties, whether they are rented or not.

The most recent date of valuation is 1 August 2024 with those valuations coming into effect 1 July 2026. 

The Valuation of Land Act 1978 (as amended) Part IV sets out the manner in which objections and appeals may be instituted if you object to the GRV set for your property.

An objection against the valuation must be made in writing and received by the Valuer General, 1 Midland Square, Midland WA 6056, within 60 days of the issue of this rate notice. Please quote your Ven number.

A person who is dissatisfied with the decision of the Valuer General in respect to the objection may lodge an appeal to the Land Valuation Tribunal.

If an objection or an appeal is lodged the full amount of rates remains due and payable by the due date on the notice, regardless of the expected outcome of the appeal.

Yes, if an objection or an appeal is lodged, the amount (depending on payment option chosen) of rates remains due and payable by the due date on the notice, regardless of the expected outcome of the appeal.

Unpaid rates will begin to accrue interest after the due date/instalment date/s and will continue to accrue each day until the overdue amount is paid. For 2026-2027, this amount is set at 3.5% calculated daily.

As part of the yearly budget process, we calculate the Rate in the Dollar by dividing the total amount of money to be raised in general rates by the total value of all rateable properties. The resulting figure is the Rate in the Dollar.

We offer the below payment options:

1. Full payment by the due date
2. Four quarterly instalments (instalment interest of 2% applies)

We also offer flexible payment plans to suit your needs. Contact our rates department if you would like to spread out your rates in weekly, fortnightly, monthly or even ad-hoc instalments. interest of 3.5% will apply.

Yes we do. Please contact our rates department if you would like to set up a payment plan. Interest of 3.5% will apply.

Should you be experiencing financial difficulties, alternative payment arrangements can be made with the us by contacting our friendly Customer Relations team via phone (08) 9364 0666 | 1300 635 845 or by email [email protected]. We strongly encourage those who have difficulties in meeting their payments to make contact with our rates department as early as possible.

Under Section 6.51 of the Local Government Act 1995, The City may charge interest on overdue balances. Interest will begin to accrue after the due date/instalment date/s and will continue to accrue each day until the overdue amount is paid. For 2026-2027, the rate of interest is set at 3.5% calculated daily. This rate is set in accordance with Local Government (Financial Management) Regulations 1996.

Eligible pensioners and seniors are exempt from late payment penalty interest.

Rates and service charges that remain outstanding 35 days after the date of issue may be recovered by legal action without further notice. Costs incurred in any legal action taken to recover the outstanding amount will be added to your account. If payment is allowed to fall into arrears for a period of three or more years, the City may:

1. Sell the land;
2. Take the land and let or lease the property;
3. Have the land vested in the Local Government;
4. Have the land vested in the Crown.

Seniors with a valid WA Seniors Card are eligible for a 25% rebate for ESL and 25% for rates up to a maximum of $100; and pensioners who hold either a Pensioner Concession Card, State Concession Card, or both a WA Seniors Card and Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card are eligible for a 50% rebate up to a maximum of $750 for pensioner and $100 for seniors. To be eligible, the applicant must be the owner-occupier of the property as at 1 July of the rating year. Partial concessions may be available for people who become eligible during that rating year. All seniors/pensioners/health care card holders must pay the amount under ‘Total Charged’ to receive the rebate.

To apply for a rebate, visit www.watercorporation.com.au/Bill-and-account/Apply-for-a-concession and fill in the application form. If there are arrears outstanding on the property when you apply, they must be paid to receive you rebate.

If your circumstances change, i.e. you are no longer the owner-occupier or lose your pensioner/senior status, you must tell our rates department immediately.

Pensioners fulfilling the requirements above also have the option to defer their rates, however, cannot claim the rebate if they choose to do so. Pensioners deferring their rates must still pay the Property Surveillance Charge and Pool Inspection Fee (if applicable). You must be registered with the Water Corporation to be eligible to defer your rates. All arrears also need to be paid in full to be able to defer your rates.

Rebates to Pensioners and Seniors under the Rates and Charges (Rebates and Deferments Act) are funded by the Government of Western Australia.

The Emergency Service Levy helps fund WA’s fire and emergency services, including fire stations, volunteer fire brigades, State Emergency Service (SES) units, the Volunteer Marine Rescue Service and the multi-purpose Volunteer Emergency Service Units.

This levy is a State Government charge and is required to be collected on behalf of the Department of Fire and Emergency Service (DFES) by all Western Australia Local Government Authorities. Find out more information about the Emergency Services Levy

All properties are charged the Property Surveillance Charge, which helps fund a range of programs and services to improve neighbourhood amenity, including the City’s MelSafe service, a highly visible, 24/7 mobile patrol service that acts as extra eyes and ears for the community and police.

Find out more

The property surveillance and security charge covers a range of programs and services to improve neighbourhood amenity. These include the reporting of graffiti and community development programs for groups such as at-risk youth and the elderly. The aim is to improve overall safety and security, to make Melville a great place to live. This helps to maintain property values for owners.

Vacant land can also be damaged, have material dumped without authorisation, or people may congregate and cause a nuisance. In addition, vacant land may be under construction. The Community Safety Service observes and reports any problems spotted on vacant land or construction sites, which is important as the lot is generally unoccupied.

In accordance with Building Regulations 2012, a Pool/Spa inspection fee is charged to properties that have a private pool or a spa containing water that is more than 300mm deep. It is used to fund the Swimming Pool Compliance Program, which includes inspection and advice to property owners on pool safety and legislative obligations. All pools in the City are inspected every four years.

Find out more

The legislative requirement is that each pool is inspected every four years and brought into compliance. Our strategy is to complete inspections on 25 percent of all pools within the City each year. The annual pool levy charge is equal to one quarter of the cost of providing this service for each home.

Additional inspections, such as when purchasing a property, are available upon request on a fee for service basis.

What are these underground power charges?
The underground power charges are used to fund the installation of underground power in project suburbs. They consist of a network service charge and a network connection fee. The network service charge is the same for all properties in the project area. The network connection fee is only charged if a suitable connection doesn’t already exist. If it does, no connection charge is applied. If a connection already exists but needs more work to connect to the network, a modified connection fee is charged. If no connection exists, then a full connection fee is charged.

For more information on the Willagee/Myaree/Melville underground power project for 2026-2027, please click here.  

You do not have to pay it all at once. The City is able to offer payment arrangements to residents, with the option of spreading underground power charges over a repayment period of five years from the date of issue. Interest applies at 3.5% per annum calculated daily on any remaining underground power charges.

Find out more