FAQs

We offer the convenience of eRates, which allows you to receive your annual and instalment rate notices by email.

You can register online to opt in for this service via 

https://my.armadale.wa.gov.au/service/council-rates-and-rebates/erates/

There are several ways to pay your rates:

You can choose to:
✅ Pay in full by the due date
✅ Pay by two instalments
✅ Pay by four instalments
✅ Set up a direct debit payment plan through the City's "A Smarter Way to Pay" program

Direct debit allows you to spread your rates across weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments, helping make budgeting easier throughout the year.

If you're unable to pay your rates in full or according to the standard instalment options, the City may be able to assist with an alternative payment arrangement.

For more information about payment options or to discuss a payment plan, contact the Rates Team on 9394 5788 or visit:

https://my.armadale.wa.gov.au/service/online-payment-and-renewals/rate-payments-and-options/

The waste charge helps fund a range of waste and recycling services provided to households across the City.

This includes:
✅ Weekly general waste bin collection
✅ Fortnightly recycling bin collection
✅ One scheduled bulk waste verge collection
✅ Two scheduled green waste verge collections
✅ One booked mattress collection
✅ A tip pass valid for up to four uses

The charge also helps cover the cost of the State Government landfill levy, litter and illegal dumping collections, compliance activities and waste education programs.

Having a separate waste charge helps ensure the cost of providing these services is transparently allocated to the households that receive them.

All property owners in Western Australia contribute to fire and emergency services through the Emergency Services Levy (ESL).

Local governments collect the levy on behalf of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES). All funds collected are forwarded directly to DFES, who then redistribute the money to emergency services throughout the State.

For further information on the Emergency Services Levy please contact DFES on 1300 136 099 or visit their website: www.dfes.wa.gov.au

Eligible pensioners and seniors may be entitled to a rebate on their rates and Emergency Services Levy (ESL).

Depending on your concession card, you may be eligible for:
✅ Up to 50% off your rates (capped at $750) and 50% off your ESL
✅ Up to 25% off your rates (capped at $100) and 25% off your ESL

These rebates are funded by the State Government and are available to eligible Pensioner Concession Card holders, State Concession Card holders, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders with a WA Seniors Card, and WA Seniors Card holders.

We understand that financial circumstances can change and that some residents may experience difficulty paying their rates.

If you're experiencing financial hardship, we encourage you to contact the City as early as possible. Our team can discuss the support options available and help identify a payment arrangement that works for your circumstances.

The City has a Rates Assistance and Financial Hardship Policy and offers flexible payment options, including A Smarter Way to Pay, which allows payments to be tailored to your budget and pay cycle.

The earlier you get in touch, the more options may be available to assist. To discuss the details of a financial hardship application, please contact our Rates Team on (08) 9394 5788.

If your property has a swimming pool or spa that requires a safety barrier, you may see a pool inspection fee on your rates notice.

This fee helps cover the cost of the City's pool safety inspection program, which ensures swimming pool and spa barriers comply with State safety requirements. These inspections play an important role in helping to prevent young children from accessing pools unsupervised.

Pool and spa barriers are inspected regularly to help keep our community safe and to ensure property owners meet their legal obligations.

If applicable, the pool inspection fee will appear as a separate item on your rates notice.

Some properties within the City pay a Specified Area Rate (SAR) to help fund additional services or infrastructure that benefit a particular area.

For example, some business and commercial precincts contribute towards enhanced services such as increased litter collection, verge maintenance, streetscape upkeep and other amenity improvements.

In some newer residential areas, a SAR helps maintain parks and public open spaces to a higher standard, including features such as irrigation systems, garden beds and park lighting.

Not all properties pay a Specified Area Rate. If applicable, it will appear as a separate item on your rates notice.

Your rates are calculated by multiplying your property's Gross Rental Value (GRV), which is independently determined by Landgate, by the rate in the dollar set by Council each year. 

Your rates notice may also include a waste charge, an Emergency Services Levy (ESL), a Specified Area Rate or a pool inspection fee. 

Gross Rental Value (GRV) is the fair annual rental value of your property and is an estimate of how much you could expect to receive if you were to rent your property. 

Every few years, the Gross Rental Values used to calculate rates are updated across Western Australia. These valuations are independently assessed by Landgate and reflect changes in the local property market. The City does not determine property valuations. The 2026/27 financial year is a revaluation year. 

Because property values can change at different rates across the community, some properties may experience a larger increase or decrease in rates than others. Rates in WA are calculated on this basis regardless of whether your property is rented, or is your primary place of residence.

Landgate is responsible for valuing all properties in Western Australia for rating and taxing purposes in accordance with the Valuation of Land Act 1978. You can find out more about Landgate and their process for this here:

https://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/valuations/valuations-for-rates-and-taxes/

If you feel that the valuation applied to your property is incorrect, you can lodge an objection with Landgate’s Valuer General’s Office, within 60 days of the issue of your rates notice.

For more information, please contact the Valuer General’s Office on (08) 9273 7373.

A rate in the dollar is used to calculate the rates payable on a property.

Each year, Council prepares a budget to determine the cost of delivering services, maintaining community facilities and renewing infrastructure such as roads, parks and buildings.

Income from sources such as grants, fees, charges and contributions is then deducted. The remaining amount needed to fund City services and infrastructure is raised through rates.

Council then sets a rate in the dollar that will generate the required rates revenue when applied across all rateable properties in the City.

Different property categories have different rates in the dollar because Council uses differential rates to ensure a fair and equitable contribution from different property types.

For 2026/27, the proposed rates in the dollar are:

🏡 Residential Improved – 6.8356 cents
🏢 Business Improved – 9.0842 cents
🏗️ Vacant Land – 12.3643 cents
🌾 Rural (UV) Land – 0.4702 cents

Your property's rates are calculated by applying the relevant rate in the dollar to the Gross Rental Value (GRV) of your property, which is independently determined by Landgate.

In simple terms, the rate in the dollar determines how the total rates requirement is shared across properties based on their valuation.

Council also sets a minimum rate to ensure every property contributes a fair share towards the services and infrastructure that benefit our community.

The City is proposing a 4.8% increase in rates revenue for 2026/27, which is equal to the estimated 2025/26 Local Government Cost Index (LGCI) at the time of setting proposed rates.

The LGCI is the local government equivalent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It is developed independently by the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) and measures the cost pressures typically experienced by local governments. WALGA-Q1-2026-Economic-Briefing.pdf 

Unlike CPI, which focuses on household costs, the LGCI reflects costs such as construction materials, road works, fuel, utilities, waste management, insurance and labour.

By setting the proposed rates increase in line with the LGCI, Council is seeking to keep pace with the rising costs of delivering services, maintaining community facilities and renewing infrastructure.

In simple terms, the proposed increase is intended to maintain current service levels and infrastructure rather than fund significant new services or programs.

We understand that many households are feeling the pressure of rising living costs and that any increase in rates can be challenging.

Like households and businesses, local governments are also experiencing increasing costs. The City faces rising expenses for construction materials, fuel, electricity, insurance, waste services, technology and wages, all of which are needed to deliver services and maintain community infrastructure.

For the 2026/27 financial year, the City is proposing a rate revenue increase of 4.8%, which is equal to the estimated 2025/26 Local Government Cost Index (LGCI) at the time of setting proposed rates. The LGCI is the local government equivalent of CPI and measures the cost pressures faced by councils across Western Australia. 

By aligning the proposed increase with the LGCI, Council is seeking to maintain the services, facilities and infrastructure our community relies on while remaining financially sustainable into the future.

We also recognise that some residents may need assistance. Flexible payment options and hardship support are available for eligible ratepayers.

Each year, Council reviews the cost of delivering services, maintaining infrastructure and delivering projects for the community.

The City is continually looking for ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs and deliver better value for ratepayers. This includes reviewing services, identifying process improvements, seeking grant funding, pursuing external funding opportunities and carefully managing expenditure.

Before rates are set, income from grants, fees, charges and other sources is taken into account. Rates are then used to fund the remaining amount required to deliver services and maintain community assets.

Like households and businesses, local governments face increasing costs for items such as fuel, construction materials, insurance, utilities and labour.

The proposed 2026/27 rates increase has been aligned with the fuel shock scenario of the Local Government Cost Index (LGCI), which measures the cost pressures faced by local governments across Western Australia.

Council's aim is to balance affordability with the need to maintain services, infrastructure and long-term financial sustainability.

Every few years, Landgate independently reviews and updates the Gross Rental Values (GRVs) used by local governments across Western Australia to calculate rates.

A revaluation year doesn't automatically mean everyone's rates increase by the same amount. Instead, it updates the property values used in the rates calculation to better reflect changes in the local property market.

Because property values change at different rates, some properties may experience a larger increase or decrease in their GRV than others. This means rates may change differently from one property to the next, even if they are in the same suburb.

The City does not determine property valuations. Landgate, a Western Australian Government agency, is responsible for valuing properties for rating purposes.

For 2026/27, new GRVs have been applied across the City following Landgate's latest revaluation. While Council determines the rate in the dollar, Landgate determines the property values used in the calculation.

It's a common misconception that rates pay for all major projects.

In reality, the City uses a mix of funding sources to deliver services and infrastructure. For 2026/27, total operating revenue is forecast to be around $159.5 million, with approximately $57.5 million coming from sources other than rates, including grants, fees and charges.

The City's draft capital works program is valued at approximately $72.3 million and includes projects such as Armadale Regional Recreation Reserve, Central Park, Forrestdale Sporting Precinct, Piara Waters West Playing Field and road renewal programs.

Major projects are delivered through a combination of funding sources, including State Government grants, Federal Government funding, developer contributions, and City funding.

One of the most common questions we receive is why two neighbouring properties can have different rates.

The main reason is that rates are based on the Gross Rental Value (GRV) of a property, which is independently determined by Landgate, a Western Australian Government agency.

Properties can have different GRVs for a range of reasons, including differences in size, age, improvements, location and rental value.

The City does not determine property valuations. Council sets the rate in the dollar, which is then applied to each property's GRV to calculate rates.

This means two properties receiving similar City services may pay different rates because their valuations are different.

If you have questions about your property's valuation, Landgate can provide further information about how valuations are determined.

It's common to compare rates between neighbouring councils, but comparing rates isn't always straightforward.

Each local government has different responsibilities, infrastructure, population growth, community facilities and service levels. They also have different sources of income, asset renewal requirements and property valuations.

For example, one council may manage more roads, parks, sporting facilities or community buildings than another. Some councils may also receive different levels of grant funding or have different borrowing and asset renewal strategies.

Because rates are calculated using local property valuations and each council's individual budget requirements, comparing the rates paid on two properties in different local governments doesn't always provide a like for like comparison.

When setting rates, Council considers the cost of delivering services and maintaining infrastructure for our community, while balancing affordability and long term financial sustainability.

The City applies a different rating category to vacant land than it does to developed residential properties.

Vacant land is generally charged a higher rate in the dollar to encourage development and ensure owners of developable land make a fair contribution towards the infrastructure, facilities and services that support growth across the community.

This approach recognises that vacant land often has future development potential and helps promote the timely development of land for housing, business and employment opportunities.

The City also applies a lower minimum rate to vacant land than residential properties to help ensure fairness for owners of smaller residential lots.

The Statement of Rating Objects and Reasons explains how the City proposes to apply differential rates across different property categories and why those categories exist.

The document outlines:
✅ How rates are calculated
✅ Why different rating categories apply to different types of properties
✅ Why vacant land and business properties may have different rates in the dollar
✅ Proposed minimum rates
✅ How the proposed rates help fund services, infrastructure and facilities across our growing community

The Statement is designed to provide transparency around the proposed rating structure and help the community understand the factors Council considers when setting rates.

If you'd like to learn more about the proposed 2026/27 rates before making a submission, we encourage you to read the Statement of Rating Objects and Reasons.

Read the document and find out more here:

Notice of Intention to Levy Differential Rates

Before Council makes a final decision on the 2026/27 rates, the proposal is advertised and the community is invited to provide feedback.

The community feedback period for the proposed 2026/27 differential rates is open from 27 May to 5pm on 18 June 2026.

This gives residents, businesses and property owners an opportunity to review the proposed rates, learn more about how rates are calculated and understand the reasons behind the proposed rating structure.

Community feedback is an important part of the process and all submissions received during the advertising period will be considered by Council before a final decision is made.

Advertising the proposed rates does not mean they have been adopted. It is an opportunity for the community to review the proposal and have its say before Council determines the final rates for 2026/27.

You can learn more about the proposal, read the Statement of Rating Objects and Reasons here: 

Notice of Intention to Levy Differential Rates

Written submissions can be lodged in person at the City's Administration Centre or any City library, or emailed to info@armadale.wa.gov.au.