Land and Property Service Complaints

oohgreta

Hi ...Has anyone had, or heard of success in complaints regarding Land and Property Service. We are in the process of contesting our rates bill which landed on our door mat 3 weeks before last christmas after 6 years of waiting:eek: ..we're at stage 2 in their complaints procedure (stage 3 is the Ombudsman) having been offered a paltry 866.00 reduction due the their 'maladministration', mistakes and poor service (which they have admitted). However, the letter we recieved advising us of this states that the reduction is offered 'in line with previous cases that have been considered through Office of NI Ombudsman' - so basically reading between the lines we feel they're saying 'don't bother with the Ombudsman because you'll not get anywhere!!' Also, 3 days after recieving the reduction in rates we got a final demand for the FULL amount threatening to take us to court if we didn't respond within 10 days. We're still waiting on the revised bill they said will be with us shortly!!
Please, does anyone have any advice??

highrisklowreturn

Yes, take to the ombudsman, you will always get more.

Also, ask for a full and complete record under the DPA of Abbacus system notes, AO system notes and details collected by the Land Registry as to your ownership and occupation of the property in question. In truth the DFP has held your details for years but has not acted; the entire figure could be written off once you secure these, assuming of course the LPS plays ball with you and doesn't deliberately withhold information.

oohgreta

Thanks High Risk ... excuse my ignorance but what does DPA stand for ...(I used to work for DFP so okay there ha ha!!). We were going to ask of details from the panel that presided over our 25% reduction because we don't think it's fair that they met without a anyone independantly representing us ..we have no idea what they discussed. I was basically told that our first complaint would be dealt with at the panel and was told, in advance, what we would be offered.
I am so angry and fustrated with them because we notified them when we moved in Oct 2006 (our conveyancing solicitor advised us to do so as she was not obliged since it was a new build), we had a district valuer visit to measure in 2008 followed by a valuation (we thought we would get a bill the following April). In 2009 we got another valuation with our address amended but no bill.
We did ring, on occasion (naively we didn't keep our own records) but apparently there is no record of this. In April 2011 we got a letter stating that although our house was empty we would have to start paying rates from the October, there was a form attached which we dutifuly filled in letting them know we lived in the house but LPS have no record of this ...then finally in Dec 2011 we recieved the full rates bill for which they had to go to a 3rd party source to find out that we were living there (my husband held the measuring tape for the district valuer back in 2008). We panicked and agreed to pay 2011/2012 rates by 31st March 2012 which is when I put in a letter of appeal, being told that I would get a response within 14 days. We waited until the middle of May before I got a telephone call from the complaints department!! After we got the offer of 25% I spoke to a lady in the complaints department who told me that indeed they do have a record of being notified in Oct 2006 but no details of who notified them 'could have been building control' she said, after I had told her it was me....basically implying that I am a liar. I have arranged to pay off the back dated rates having been told that if successful in our appeal we would get it back. I asked for this in writing and was sent a detail of the payments we will be making instead!!
Am I right in thinking their ploy is for us to roll over and give in?

highrisklowreturn

First, there won't have been a panel as such - rather an EOII and his boss have decided that between them going on a precedent set before. If they have accepted they are wrong in one part the ombudsman will push them over this, and in my view will give you 100% relief of the arrears.

DPA is data protection act. Their valuation system (ie AO) will have details of your original and updated valuations. The valuation office was cojoined with the rates office during the times discussed and any information gleamed by valuation but not shared with rates is a failure of LPS generally, not one or the other.

The Abbacus system may have details of your having contacted them previously, but whether or not they will release this to you is another matter as they may either say it doesn't exist or they may indeed have copied details pertaining to you to the account of a previous ratepayer - which goes on all the time.

The staff conducting the FOI request may also be too dimwitted to process your request either comprehensively or honestly and you should allow for this.

warmhands.coldheart

So highrisklowreturn, what your saying is the staff at LPS are completely incompetent!

Greentea

Is your complaint because they didnt send out a bill before now and so you dont think you should pay it? I have had experience with the rates office often taking 2 years before getting an accurate bill, but I have always assumed you would still legally owe that amount if you were living in the property? Regardless of their inepitidue in sending out bills.

highrisklowreturn

Greentea wrote: »

Is your complaint because they didnt send out a bill before now and so you dont think you should pay it? I have had experience with the rates office often taking 2 years before getting an accurate bill, but I have always assumed you would still legally owe that amount if you were living in the property? Regardless of their inepitidue in sending out bills.

No, not the case. You can apply to have it written off with them or request this via the ombudsman.

Needless to say they do not advertise this with flashing lights around it.

kyral

I had two years written off last month. They didnt bill me for two years saying I was entitled to full housing benefit when I repeatedly informed them I wasnt entitled.
When they decided to then take notice and send me a bill for 3 years of rates in April I contested it and won due them finally admitting fault.:T

NAR

You knew you had to pay the rates and should have set aside the money to pay your legitimate bill. Wangling out of payment due to administrative error is pathetic. Hopefully this will come back on you soon (karma) - why should I and other taxpayers pick up your tab? :mad:

kyral

I did have the money set aside to pay my bill and I repeatedly tried to pay it! The manager in the rates office who eventually sorted it all out advised me to complain because she was disgusted at the service I had received and I therefore followed the procedure she set out for me.

I haven't done anything wrong only try to pay a bill and followed the rates office advice. So if you would like to blame anybody for taking your tax (which I also pay), 'to pick up my tab', maybe you should look to them and their incompetence, which they have admitted, in this case.

If you receive bad service generally you make a complaint, that is all I did just like the OP is doing.

wifeforlife

The unfortunate state of events here is that the people whom you were in contact with was the Valuation office not the Rates office although they operate under the LPS umbrella they still operate as separate entities.

It was 2008 before a valuer visited your property and valued your home, on completion of this you received a certificate of valuation which states on it that you must now contact the rates office at the bottom of this letter. I think the second certificate of valuation you received may have been to due to a slight amendment to your address however I could be wrong, again it states on the certificate to contact the rates office.

The letter you received in 2011 was issued to all known vacant properties stating that there was a change of legislation due in October and if the property was occupied to complete the attached occupancy questionnaire and return it, a bill would have issued on receipt of this. When you finally received a bill in December 2011 this would have been due to the rates office having to investigate what they believe is a vacant property to find out the occupancy details.

To be honest I hope your successful in reducing your bill as it is a moneysaving site however I think it's morally wrong.

You've received the services for 6 years so why shouldn't you pay the bill, regardless if you believe some parts of LPS are incompetent. The simple fact is you contacted the valuation part of LPS and i understand its confusing but I don't see where you made a big effort to get a bill. When you moved into your house I bet you were quick to contact NIE for a service and pay them.

Kyral your situation is different because you were in receipt of a benefit and then no longer required it, there is obviously evidence showing you contacted either the Housing benefit team or the rates office and therefore your bill reduced accordingly, congratulations.

Goodluck oohgreta it's no secret on this site that I have worked in LPS and help people on a regular basis so please feel free to pm me if I can help you or help you understand how things work, just because I don't agree with things I would always help to save money were possible and legal.