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November 15, 2005
The Council Tax Bill.
I wasn’t quite sure when seeing the first reports about whether this could be quite true. Unfortunately, it is:
Not only this, but it now emerges that inspectors from the Valuation Office Agency are expected to make much greater use of their right of access to private homes, with their clipboards and cameras. Internal agency documents advise inspectors that it is "good practice" to seek the agreement of a householder before marching through his house, taking photographs. The guidelines make it quite clear, however, that they may exercise their powers of intrusion, even without the householder's consent.
A decade ago the only people who could enter your property (legally, at any rate) without your permission were Customs and Excise and those in possession of a warrant. I’m sure there were let outs forthe ambulance crew or firemen who broke down your door as well.
Now, he local prodnose from the Council has a legal right to enter your property as and when he wishes? (Or rather, that is what is proposed.)
Where the hell do these people get off? What next? Neighbourhood Gauleiters?
November 15, 2005 in Your Tax Money at Work | Permalink
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Anyone who wishes to photograph the inside of my house had better bring a police officer and a search warrant with them.
Council Tax revaluation... my arse! [Read More]
Tracked on Nov 15, 2005 4:53:14 PM
Comments
A decade ago the only people who could enter your property (legally, at any rate) without your permission were Customs and Excise and those in possession of a warrant. I’m sure there were let outs forthe ambulance crew or firemen who broke down your door as well.
That's still pretty much the position today, the only one you've missed in terms of legal non-warrant access is Transco - and then only in an emergency to deal with a gas leak.
Not sure where this right of access for valuation agents comes from.
Posted by: Unity | Nov 15, 2005 10:12:29 AM
Not only is council tax immoral, BUT we are further having our personal rights and freedoms further eroded by our government. We really have to get rid of this system of government that pays absolutely no attention to the wishes of the nation. We are moving closer and closer to a police state.
Posted by: Paul | Nov 15, 2005 11:00:58 AM
come off it - police state? - some surveyor from the council. Don't be daft.
Posted by: the-man-in-black | Nov 15, 2005 11:51:56 AM
My friends who live in houses tell me that officious bastards have been rummaging through their trash and then ringing the doorbell to tell them off for not recycling paper and glass. Fortunately in my flat the dustbin is behind a locked door that only residents and the superintendent have a key to, otherwise these idiots would be nursing punched noses.
Posted by: Stephen | Nov 15, 2005 2:49:09 PM
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is an executive agency of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) with 85 offices spread throughout England, Wales and Scotland employing around 5000 people. http://www.voa.gov.uk/index.htm
Posted by: Stewart | Nov 15, 2005 4:13:30 PM
An executive agency of HM Customs!
Well who knew that.
So that is where the aforementioned powers come from.
No doubt they will only be used in rare cases where serious crime is suspected, yadda yadda yadda.
If you believe that then I have a bridge you may be interested in buying.
Mission creep beyond belief.
Posted by: Andrew Duffin | Nov 15, 2005 4:17:31 PM
What if I tell them my house is a mosque?
Posted by: dearieme | Nov 15, 2005 10:44:17 PM
NO THEY DO NOT HAVE RIGHT OF ENTRY INTO YOUR HOUSE
See Paragraph 4
Inspections and Photography
When property is valued, an inspection is a normal and necessary part of the process. This is exactly what you would expect to happen if you were applying for a mortgage or borrowing against the equity in your property and it is no different for council tax. Your council tax band is based upon the value of your property and it is in everyone’s best interests to ensure that it is correct.
However, it is often not necessary for us to inspect a property, for example where there are streets of similar properties, we would not need to inspect them all. Even where changes have been made to properties, the vast majority of our inspections can be completed from outside. We will only ask to come inside your property if we cannot gather the information we need from an external inspection.
On the few occasions when an internal inspection is necessary, we make every effort to arrange a convenient appointment with you. Staff always carry and present identity cards that incorporate a photograph. However, if you ever have any doubts you should never allow access to your property and we urge you to call your local Valuation Office to check the identity of the representative if you have any concerns. The number is listed in your local telephone directory and in the Where to Find Us section.
Contrary to some misinformed press reports, we do not have the power to enter a property forcibly. If entry is refused we will normally make our best judgement about the correct band for the property – obviously this is not as reliable as a judgement formed on the basis of an inspection. However, the law does recognise that sometimes we require access in order to do our job. Magistrates can impose a fine of up to £500 for intentionally obstructing a VOA inspector, but this has not, to date, been necessary.
Photographs can also help us to do our work more efficiently - we sometimes take a picture of the outside of a property as it saves a lot of time and words that would otherwise be needed to describe the main features and other aspects that might affect value. These are generally taken from the road and therefore reflect what any other passer by could see. It would be extremely rare that photographs are taken inside a person’s home. If we need to take photographs inside, we would seek the permission of the occupier first. We take care to exclude features that are not relevant to the value of the property, for example, personal items, furniture, and details of the security system. The internal photographs we hold are normally deleted from our computer system when they have served their purpose. It is also important that you are aware that photographs held by the VOA are not accessible to any other parties.
If you have any queries, please contact your local Valuation Office. Details can be found in the Where to Find Us section.
Posted by: chumbawumba | Jan 29, 2007 8:44:50 PM
