[Dallas McConnell]

Hi All,

Firstly thanks for a great conference last week.

Secondly I was hoping some Councils might be able to send me a copy of the welcome pack they send out to new owners?
We are looking at starting it up here at Wollongong and I’m doing some fact finding.

We have thought about some different concerns, one where its a completely new owner (doesn’t own any other properties) and also mindful that the resident at the property might not be the owner, with rentals etc.

Just hoping to get some guidance about what is going on in the industry.

Regards,
Dallas McConnell

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Dallas
We have been consulting with our Communications team about a welcome letter from the Mayor but not had a lot of traction.
For a number of years now the sector has been engaging with State Government entities to try and receive additional contact points on the NOS. This has recently started up again but no time frames agreed to yet.
A significant number of ratepayers that we took formal recovery action against had not updated their address with us between purchase date and recovery, so we came with the attached, which we send to all new ratepayers at the time of receiving the NOS transfer.
We use Pathway and the ‘update my details’ form on our web is linked into the Pathway customer request module. Selecting the property is a mandatory field so changes are always linked back to the property, we also ask for current mailing address for confirmation purposes. We vet all requests and don’t allow agents or businesses to make changes on line, and follow-up with the applicant if necessary (or discrepancies).
During our debt recovery process we extract the phone numbers and email address from our NAR based on the information provided.
Hope this is helpful.

NNO

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrea Dolan]

Hi Dallas,
We send a NOL to any accounts that still have rates outstanding. We used to send one to each and every transfer but it just got too time consuming for the “nicety” of the process. I’m the same as Andrew and have been in numerous discussions over the years with our Communications team to create a Welcome pack/letter but still nothing has eventuated.
I do like Campbelltown’s approach in asking for further contact details. I may look at changing ours up a bit.
Hope this helps
Andrea

[Rebecca Revell]

Hi Everyone,
I started in the industry ten months ago and I’ve noticed that a lot of RTS are due to incomplete information on the NOS. This situation not only prevents the implementation of an automated Welcome Letter but cash flow and its related debt collection.
I also note that the last time anyone made a comment on this thread was in 2021!
This is unfortunate in our times of automation when private companies are forcing us into E-notices and payment but not Council.
I am aware that trying to influence the NSW Land Registry office is like drawing blood from a stone; however, surely (correct me if I’m wrong and/or advise me if they don’t care?) the more Councils that complain that we cannot do our job efficiently let alone effectively from the insufficient information that they provide us, the better.
Are there any councils sending Welcome Letters? If so, how do you go about doing this?
When was the last time that NSW Revenue Professionals advocated to the NSW Land Registry for a change to their NOS procedure? How often are we advocating to the NSW Land Registry for a change? One simple email is all that is required.
Many thanks,
Rebecca

[Andrew Butcher]

Hi Rebecca

The struggles you are having are not uncommon in our sector and we (NSWRP) are in regular contact with the LRS and other key stakeholders. The last meeting I attended the advice received was that there was not enough money in their budget to include additional contact points and a work around was suggested, I have not heard anymore since.

The LRS is planning to upgrade their platform to enable different reporting methods/processes. I will follow up with LRS and post an update.

In the interim I recommend contacting the conveyancer if you know the address is incorrect and note any unsuccessful contact attempts, agreed it is not ideal. Seeking additional contact points has worked extremely well for us in both being able to avoid debt management and defending any action should the need arise.

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,
Andrew

[Dallas McConnell]

Thanks Rebecca and Andrew,

Good points raised. I think as well it would help NAR, as it would be additional information to determine who someone is when buying property from a name perspective. Dont get me started on date of births.

its all information the conveyancer has, phone numbers, email address etc.

We have had some luck contacting the conveyancer prior to commencing legal action on new purchases, but its time and labour intensive.

Cheers,
Dallas

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