‘Cattle” loophole still exists in Land Valuations Bill as developers benefit

THE State Government has been accused of pandering to developers after it failed to close a legal loophole which allows them to use a couple of head of cattle to save thousands of dollars in rates and land tax.

The Courier-Mail revealed in June that under the Valuation of Land Act, developers can have their rates slashed by about 40 per cent if they can prove they are earning as little as $96 a week from a rural pursuit such as agisting livestock.

Local Government Association of Queensland president Cr Paul Bell said Minister Stephen Robertson had given him his word the provision allowing developers to get out of paying the full amount of rates would not be included in the Land Valuations Bill currently before Parliament.

"Despite a clear, unambiguous commitment from the Minister that they would remove the 40 per cent concession for developers, it remains in the Bill," Cr Bell said.

Moreton Bay Regional Council lost almost $400,000 in rates revenue after two blocks of land were valued down from $21 million to $1.15 million and from $29 million to $1.1 million using the loophole, which costs Queensland councils about $10 million in lost rates revenue a year.

"It amounts to a $100 million gift over the next decade to a very select group of large, national, publicly listed developers," Cr Bell said.

Mr Robertson did not deny his agreement with the LGAQ but said after the meeting it became clear an agreement could not be reached with all stakeholders in time for the Bill to be tabled.

"However, the Government maintains its commitment to the valuations concessions issue by inserting into the Bill a clause which provides for a full review of this matter in two years," Mr Robertson said.

But Cr Bell said the review was far from a guarantee the provision would be removed and estimated the loss in revenue translated into 3300 less affordable homes councils would be able to sponsor.

But the new Land Valuations Bill will address concerns surrounding a legal challenge which led to Gold Coast shopping centre Pacific Fair having its valuation, and then its rates, slashed and has drawn praise from the Property Council.

Acting executive director Ken Morrison said the Bill ended months of negotiations to ensure the Government’s valuation reforms did not result in unfair tax increases for property owners.

Source:  www.couriermail.com.au

Real Estate Agent vs Building Inspector

Clearly not all estate agents are created equal. If this were so the general public would have an overall perception that your typical agent is predominantly an honest, hard working service provider simply trying to facilitate a harmonious union between property buyers and sellers with one united goal. That goal being the transfer of ownership of a specific property for a mutually agreed price. It is therefore unfortunate that a small number of agents acting unprofessionally can sully the reputation of the majority.

As the Director of Action Property Inspections I have personally completed over 20,000 building inspections in the Brisbane area and in that time I thought I had seen pretty much every dirty tactic employed by a few unethical agents. I was however ignorant to the fact that a couple of local estate agents were actually getting away with blatantly threatening to terminate a clients contract if they chose a building inspector that was not of the agents liking. Let me be clearer. Not of the agents liking is the polite way of saying, the agent would prefer a building inspector who’s nick name was Jack Flash and worked for a compony called Dodgy Bros. Incorporated. Let’s face it, a building inspector who finds no faults guarantees the agent a sale and subsequently himself further referral work.

This is however not a rant about a dishonest few within the real estate industry but rather a victory letter. Let me entice you with the details.

Both real estate agents were working for two entirely different agencies within Brisbane. Both lowlife agents however employed the same dirty tactic. The tactic is to state that their client (the purchaser) could use any building and pest inspection company they wanted with the exception of two companies, Action Property Inspections being one of those listed. The estate agent would subsequently claim these companies were excessively picky and have never given a pass on any house he has ever sold. They would go on to say that proceeding with the contract using either of these building inspectors was a complete waste of time and he would subsequently prefer to terminate the contract now.

The fact is, building inspectors never pass or fail a property, they simply document the condition of a property so that a prospective purchaser can make their own informed decision. In our case all faults of relevance are photographed and documented within the report and in some instances video footage taken. There is no refuting the existence of the faults or the severity of their deterioration when professionally documented.

In this instance, playing to our advantage was the naïve stupidity of the estate agents. Whilst we can assume that some prospective house purchasers may have succumbed to the estate agents threats of contract termination, some prospective buyers were curious as to the real reason why an agent was trying to deter them from our service. Subsequently these clients phoned our office to investigate for themselves. They also read through our website, viewed the photos, watched the videos and subsequently booked our service to undertake their inspection, much to the disgust of the estate agent.

The majority of these clients subsequently told us of the agents deception and subsequently provided us with affidavits to this effect.

Over the last two years we have managed to acquire a sufficient number of affidavits in conjunction with private investigation video footage to force one estate agent to settle out of court. Unfortunately the terms of our mutual agreement prevent me from naming the estate agent however should he ever fall into old habits our agreement clearly states that I have the right to expose him for what he is and for the world to see. Finally, I would like to pay particular thanks to those clients who could see the injustice in the agents conduct and took a stance against corruption.

As for the other unethical estate agents out there…… Let the proceedings begin!

Remember, as a house or unit purchaser, you’re entitled to choose the building inspector of your choice. The agent doesn’t dictate who can or can’t undertake your inspection and certainly should not control the outcome of your report. If an agent is dictating who you can and can’t use for your building and pest inspection, you can be sure there is something they are trying to hide. Don’t become a victim of corruption within this industry. Protect your hard earned money with a sound investment and the only way to do this is with a legitimate professional building inspector that you have researched and are confident will provide you with an unbiased report.

10 Questions to ask a home lender

BUYING a home is stressful enough, without having to assess every single lender and product in the market.

Here are 10 questions you should ask potential lenders:

1. What loan will suit me best? Review all the loan features such as whether you can redraw or make extra payments.

2. What is the interest rate?

It will be fixed or variable and will determine how much you’ll pay over the life of the loan.

3. How much can I borrow?

Depending on the lender, you can borrow up to 80-95 per cent of the value of the property. However, you should always consider how much you can comfortably afford to pay each month.

4. What deposit do I need?

Most lenders require a minimum deposit of 5 per cent of the property’s value. If your deposit is less than 20 per cent, you may need to take out Lenders Mortgage Insurance. The higher your deposit, the better as it will enable you to absorb sudden fluctuations in interest rates.

5. What are the up-front fees?

Discuss all fees involved in taking out a loan, such as loan application fees and government charges including stamp duty, mortgage registration, mortgage transfer and Certificate of Title search fees.

6. What other fees are there?

Make sure you fully understand all additional fees and costs associated with the loan. For example, are there any monthly fees or charges to redraw funds?

7. What is the total loan cost?

Ask for the comparison rate for the loan you are considering. This rate includes both the interest rate and most fees and charges payable during the life of the loan, which is useful when comparing loans.

8. What benefits are there?

Check if your lender offers any benefits for taking out a loan. Some lenders can offer no transaction or loan establishment fees, discounts on loans and bonus interest on term deposit rates.

9. Can I pay the loan off early?

Chances are you may want to refinance your mortgage before the term is complete, so check whether a lender will charge you a penalty for doing so.

10. What will repayments be if interest rates rise 3-4 per cent?

Ask your lender how much your repayments will be if this happened. It’s important to consider whether you would still be able to afford the mortgage if interest rates were to increase substantially.

by Robert Keogh is chief executive of Community CPS Australia.

Source:  www.news.com.au