THE FIRST SET of letters reminding homeowners to pay the Household Charge have been sent out and delivery will begin tomorrow, according to the Local Government Management Agency.

To date, just over 957,700 properties have been registered to pay the €100 charge since its introduction on 1 January, while a further 17,607 have been registered for waivers. People who own residential properties in certain unfinished housing estates or who are entitled to mortgage interest supplement are entitled to a waiver on the Household Charge.

Penalties and interest have been accruing on the charges for properties liable for the payment but which have not met the 31 March deadline. Around 40,000 householders have incurred penalties and interest of between €11 and €13.

The reminder letter has been sent out to homeowners around the country who haven’t paid the charge and who were taken “from a sample set following an initial data comparison between the Household Charge database and other databases as set out in the Act,” according to chair of the Household Charge Project Board Jackie Maguire.

The process of analysing data to identify more householders who have not yet registered for the charge or a waiver is still being undertaken by the Local Government Management Agency.

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