LPS visit request

[dpmiller]

Just received a letter from the LPS today stating they would be having a surveyor out on Wednesday to measure and photograph the house for valuation purposes. As the house is incomplete and uninhabitable, do I cancel or put off the visit? Does the visit trigger anything in rates terms or is it purely for their records?

 

Or is it an even better idea to let them survey it now unfinished, and with no garage yet built?...

[nod]

We had a visit when the house was just a shell 

No stairs electrics etc

Followed by a council tax bill

We had them down to inspect the inside and explained there was no water power Just a bare shell They gave us eight weeks 

Tgen put us on 50% Counsul tax 

We were 8 months off finishing 

[joe90]

I didn’t think they could charge council tax till it was habitable, potable water being one essential?

[Declan52]

They came out and measured mine months before I was finished. Didn't pay anything until it was passed. They must just keep the information on file for when it's finally passed by building control.

[nod]

26 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I didn’t think they could charge council tax till it was habitable, potable water being one essential?

They certainly can 

They are using a law brought in to stop builders stock piling homes 

 

Each time I pointed out that it wasn’t habitable They just said But it could be 

Some friends of ours are having the same problem at the moment 

Hopefully it’s a Regional thing 

 

We consulted our solicitor Advised to take there offer of righting off the so called arrears of 3k and 50% in eight weeks time Going up to a 100 % ten weeks after 

Really unfair 

 

We will add this  into our budget for our next build 

[Oz07]

I don't answer their calls, respond to any correspondence or let them on site. Learnt the hard way. 

[MikeSharp01]

5 minutes ago, Oz07 said:

I don't answer their calls, respond to any correspondence or let them on site. Learnt the hard way. 

They can wait and then backdate any rating to whenever they they started to contact you and before if they are feeling like it and think they have good grounds. 

[Dave Jones]

4 hours ago, joe90 said:

I didn’t think they could charge council tax till it was habitable, potable water being one essential?

 

they cant. It's not a house until a completion cert is issued.

[dpmiller]

But is there not a difference in that in GB council tax is collected by the council itself, whereas here the LPS is divorced here and could unwittingly  do "something" without any council input?

[dpmiller]

just to put this to bed for now, rang the surveyor earlier and he confirmed that the letter is only a fishing expedition. They're only interested in surveying completed properties and so has flagged us for a recall in 6 months or so.

[vfrdave]

On 17/05/2021 at 14:14, dpmiller said:

just to put this to bed for now, rang the surveyor earlier and he confirmed that the letter is only a fishing expedition. They're only interested in surveying completed properties and so has flagged us for a recall in 6 months or so.

That's what they will tell you for now.  The same thing happened with me and then they became more persistent, to the point they came out and measured before the floors were even in.  At that point they issued me a bill and explained the developers rights that were applicable for 12 months unless I moved in or sold the property.  The bill was for a number of weeks at the end of the rateable period which fell after developers rights would have expired.

 

What pissed me off was they in effect started the developers rights from a place in time when the house was not signed off never mind habitable.  In the end I didnt pursue the issue as I was moved in by the time the billing period came into effect, albeit still not signed off.