| Purpose
of this booklet
This booklet explains the work carried out by the Valuation Office
Agency for valuations under the ‚Right to Buy’ and the
‚Right to Acquire’ and for the work we do for government
departments and local authorities. It sets out the standards we
seek to achieve. Our service standards take into account the views
of our customers.
This booklet is also available in large print, in Braille, on audio
tape and on video with sign language. A Welsh language version is
available at all our offices in Wales.
Introducing the Valuation Office
Agency
The Valuation Office Agency is an executive agency of the Inland
Revenue. We are responsible for
- Right to Buy and Right to Acquire determinations in England,
Wales and Scotland
- valuations of land and property for various government departments
and local authorities
- valuations of land and property for Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance
Tax
- the rating assessments of all non-domestic property in England
and Wales
- the council tax banding of all domestic property in England
and Wales
Booklets are available at all our offices explaining these areas
of work and the standards of service
provided. Our offices are listed in the telephone directory under
‚Valuation Office’ for England and Wales and ‘District
Valuer’ for Scotland.
Further information about the Valuation Office Agency can be found
on our Website: www.voa.gov.uk
This booklet is about Right to Buy / Right to Acquire determinations
and the work we do for other government departments and local authorities,
particularly where compulsory purchase is involved.
Compulsory purchase
We work for various government departments and local authorities
and provisionally agree the amount of compensation payable when
they buy your property. This may be by compulsory purchase or by
agreement.
For example, you may have requested the acquiring authority to
purchase your property where it is blighted by plans to build a
new road. We also provisionally agree the compensation where the
value of your property is affected by the use of a new road even
though no part of your property is being acquired. We shall tell
you if we have been asked to act in this way.
When we deal with the case we shall
- tell you if you are entitled to have professional fees paid
for you
- tell you how to apply for an advance payment of compensation
(where appropriate)
- inform you of the amount of our valuation and ask you to agree
the figure
- if you do not agree the amount, try to agree a figure with
you or your agent within 6 months or when all the facts are known
- inform the government department or local authority if we cannot
agree the amount of your claim. We shall tell you at the same
time. They will inform you of what happens next.
Right to buy
In England and Wales there are several stages to assessing the valuation
of a house or flat that you have applied to acquire from a local
authority or housing association under the ‚Right to Buy’
or ‚Right to Acquire’.
The property must first be valued. This can be undertaken by the
landlord itself or a valuer appointed by the landlord. Sometimes
the landlord appoints the Valuation Office Agency to undertake the
valuation.
If you disagree with the initial valuation you may ask your landlord
to request the District Valuer (who is an employee of the Valuation
Office Agency) to undertake a fresh valuation known as a ‚determination
of value’.
(In Scotland the procedure is different and there is no right of
appeal. The valuation is called a 'determination' and is usually
carried out by the District Valuer).
The District Valuer will need to inspect the property and will
arrange a convenient appointment with you. In the interests of fairness,
the landlord may wish to attend the inspection. The determination
of value may be more or less or the same as the initial valuation.
There is no further appeal on valuation grounds from this determination.
The District Valuer will invite you to make representations regarding
the valuation of the property. You will also be asked to agree or
add to the list of ‚tenant’s improvements’ notified
to you by your landlord. If your landlord makes representations
you will be given an opportunity to comment on them and your landlord
will similarly be invited to comment on any representations you
have made.
You can assist the progress of the determination of value by:
- co-operating fully in arranging the inspection of the property
- providing full and frank answers to any requests for information
- giving the District Valuer a written note of any representations
you may wish to make regarding the property and its valuation
and of any improvements you have made to the property
- responding promptly to any communications received from the
District Valuer
The District Valuer will aim to issue the determination of value
within two calendar months of receiving the request from the landlord.
However, this timescale may be subject to delay where you or your
landlord do not respond promptly to requests for information or
representations.
Our commitment
to you
We believe that meeting your needs is important.
We shall do this by
- giving you the best possible service
- providing helpful and impartial advice
- helping you to understand your rights and obligations
- treating everyone fairly by valuing all properties impartially
- keeping information about your property confidential.
When we visit your property
We shall
- contact you to arrange a convenient time to inspect your property
- be punctual in keeping the appointment. You can help us by
letting us know in advance if you are unable to keep the appointment
- carry identity cards
If you call to see us at our office
- we shall see you within 5 minutes when you call at the local
office that deals with your affairs
- we shall wear name badges
- we aim to answer your questions fully. If we cannot do this
we shall arrange to phone you, or write to you if you prefer,
when we have found out all the facts
- our reception offices are open 9.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday.
If you telephone us
- our experienced staff will answer your telephone enquiries
promptly and politely
- we aim to answer your calls within an overall average of 10
seconds
- the individual who answers the telephone will give you their
name
- we aim to answer your questions straight away. If we cannot
do so, we promise to put you through to someone who can, or arrange
to call you back within 48 hours. Or if you prefer, we shall write
to you.
If you write to us
- we aim to write and acknowledge your letter within 5 working
days of receiving it
- we aim to answer all your questions in clear plain language
within 15 working days. We expect to achieve this for 90% of all
letters we receive and within a further 5 days for the remaining
10%. If we do not have all the facts at the Valuation Office there
may sometimes be a delay. We shall write to you and tell you if
this is the case.
You can help us by giving accurate and full answers to our questions
and telling us how we can be of more help to you. We shall undertake
to check to see if we are meeting our aims and tell you the results
in our Annual Report.
If English is not your first language
Welsh - we are committed to a bilingual policy. We have Welsh speaking
staff in almost all our offices in Wales. We shall write to you
in Welsh if you prefer. We produce a number of booklets and forms
in both languages.
Other languages
- If you write to us in the language you prefer we shall answer
in the same language; and
- If you would like to talk to us, we shall arrange for a translator
to be available by telephone link. Alternatively, it would help
us if you had a friend who could act as a translator.
If you have special needs
Some people have special needs. We are fully committed to help all
our customers and have introduced the following facilities.
If you have a hearing difficulty please tell us, so that we can
make arrangements which will most suit your particular needs. A
minicom service is available - Minicom Service Countrywide: 020
7506 1809. As we also use this as a voice phone, be sure to use
your voice announcer.
If you have a sight problem we will provide information and communicate
with you in a format you are able to use. We are happy to talk to
you on the telephone or we can arrange to visit you at your home.
If we need to write to you we can do so in large print or Braille
or we can enclose a copy of the letter on audio tape. If you let
us know your preference we shall communicate with you in that way.
If you would prefer to be visited at home because you have special
needs please let us know.
Consulting our customers
We think it is important to ask you about the standard of service
we provide and the kind of improvements you want. We carry out regular
customer satisfaction surveys, and we look at and act on the information
we receive. Additionally we meet groups of customers to give them
information and find out what they want so that we can
improve our service.
Our performance
We publish our performance against our main targets each year in
the Agency's Annual Report. These are published on our website,
or a copy may be obtained from The Stationery Office (Telephone
0845 7 023474)
What if things go wrong?
We welcome your comments and complaints as they provide valuable
feedback of the service we have provided. We are anxious to put
matters right if mistakes have been made and to learn lessons from
them.
If you have a complaint about the service we have provided you
should write to the District Valuer at the office concerned who
will look into the matter. We shall do our best to put things right
if we have made a mistake. We shall acknowledge and try to deal
with your complaints within 5 days.
If we need to carry out further research we shall let you know
and try to complete this within 20 working days.
If you are still not happy you may
write to:
The Chief Executive
Valuation Office Agency
New Court
Carey Street
London WC2A 2JE
Tel No. 020 7506 1801
Fax No. 020 7506 1996
You can send complaints and suggestions to him by email if you
prefer at customerservices@voa.gsi.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied after you have had a reply from the Chief
Executive's Office you may ask an impartial adjudicator to look
at the matter and recommend appropriate action. The Adjudicator's
services are free. You should contact:
The Adjudicator
Haymarket House
28 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4SP
Tel No. 020 7930 2292
Fax No. 020 7930 2298
Email: adjudicators@gtnet.gov.uk
Website: www.adjudicatorsoffice.gov.uk
Also, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint
or the way in which it has been handled (by ourselves or the Adjudicator)
you may ask a Member of Parliament to refer your complaint to the
Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman will accept referral from any MP but you should approach
your own constituency MP first.
This booklet is published by
the Valuation Office Agency
© Crown copyright 2002
PN 27-08-02
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