Managing debt 

Ratepayer responsibility 

It is the ratepayer’s responsibility to ensure that rates invoices are paid when they are due. Council recognises the economic hardship faced by some ratepayers. Payment plans are available. We also have a Rates Rebate scheme that provides a rebate for low-income earners. Find out more here.

If you are unable to pay rates on your property, please contact our team as soon as possible to discuss options.

  • Phone: 0800 SELWYN (735 996)
    • Our Customer Services team will forward your enquiry to the Rates Team.

What happens if you don’t pay your rates 

If you have outstanding rates and we do not hear from you, penalties will apply, and recovery action will progress in line with the Council’s debt management process, outlined below.

  1. We will send a missed instalment letter after every instalment outlining any outstanding payments.
  1. If we have not heard from you or received payment after the date outlined in the instalment letter, we will refer outstanding payments to our external debt collection agency after 30 June (End of the Rating year).

Once referred:

  • Our collection agency will contact you by text message, email, and/or letter advising of the outstanding rates.
  • All payment arrangements will need to be made directly with the collection agency.

Mortgage and non-mortgage properties

  • Mortgage properties:
    If no response is received, the collection agency may contact the mortgage holder (bank) requesting payment to clear the arrears.
  • Non-mortgage properties:
    If there is no response, the collection agency will continue to contact you seeking payment in full. This may include written contact and, in some cases, attending the property.

To avoid debt collection and additional costs, we encourage you to make payments on time or contact us as soon as your situation changes.