Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Council Issues NPPR Charge Reminder

Clare County Council today issued a reminder to property owners affected by the Non Principal Private Residence (NPPR) scheme that the deadline for payment of the €200 charge for the year 2012 is June 30 next.

The annual charge applies to any residential property in which the owner does not reside as their normal place of residence.  It also applies to vacant residential property and properties where the owners live abroad. 

Changes to the scheme this year mean that owners of properties that are part of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (R.A.S.) and Social Leasing Scheme (S.L.S.) are no longer exempt from the charge and should register their properties and pay before the June deadline.

Commenting on the NPPR scheme, Seamus Halpin, Senior Executive Officer, Finance Department of Clare County Council, stated: “The NPPR Charge, which was introduced under the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 set an annual charge of €200 per residence, with a significant late payment fee. A €20 late payment fee will apply in respect of each month or part of a month per each annual charge during which the charge remains unpaid. Anyone who has not registered and is liable to the NPPR charge has already accrued significant late payment fees on their property “

Mr. Halpin noted that the charge is based on self-declaration and therefore, the onus is on the property owner themselves to register their property and make the payment.

“If you own a Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) since 2009 and you have not yet paid you would now owe €2,160 (including penalties to June 2012). This continues to increase on the 1st of each calendar month. It is important to note that payment of outstanding charges and late payment fees must be made prior to the sale or transfer of a property,” he added.

Owners should log on to www.nppr.ie and register their property and make payment before the 30th of June, 2012, to avoid incurring additional fees.   For the 2012 NPPR Charge this means that the late payment fee will apply to all payments made on or after the 1st of July, 2012.  The late payment fee will continue to roll up as long as the charge remains unpaid and the amount involved can be substantial.

If you are an existing customer and you have paid the charge in 2009, 2010 & 2011, you should now log onto the NPPR website under “Existing Customer” and make your renewal payment using your account reference number. If you have become a new owner of a non-principal private residence, you can register for the first time as a “New Customer”.  You can also download the registration forms from the website and post it to P.O. Box No. 11654, Dublin 8.

Persons in doubt about the liability of their property should contact Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, at 065 6821616 or nppr@clarecoco.ie. Further information also is available from the website www.nppr.ie where the charge can be paid or registration forms downloaded.