Estimate rates from a house price
Rates are worked out from what a home would have sold for in 2005, not what it costs today. If you're buying, here's how to find the figure LPS actually uses, and how to get a rough one from the price when you can't.
Today's price isn't the capital value
Every home's capital value is LPS's view of what it would have sold for on 1 January 2005. Prices have moved a long way since. In Belfast the average sale price was £99,462 in January to March 2005 and £184,768 in April to June 2026. So multiplying an asking price by the rate overstates the bill, often by close to double.
Buying a home doesn't change its capital value either. The value stays the same until LPS reviews it, so the bill for the home is what the seller pays for the same year, before any allowance or relief that was personal to them.
Find the real capital value first
- Look at the listing. Estate agents in Northern Ireland often state the yearly rates. If it doesn't, ask the agent.
- Search the address on the LPS valuation search. It shows the capital value and an estimated yearly bill, and you can compare neighbouring homes.
- For a new build that hasn't been valued yet, read new builds: when rates start. Compare similar homes nearby on the valuation search, because LPS values new homes against ones that existed in 2005.
A rough estimate from the price
If you only have a price, scale it back by how much prices in that council have risen since 2005. This site uses the official house price index for the quarter starting on 1 January 2005 and the latest quarter published.
Price today × 2005 index ÷ latest index
For a £250,000 home in Belfast: the index went from 66.6 to 123.7, so £250,000 × 66.6 ÷ 123.7 is about £135,000 at 2005 prices. That gives a 2026/27 bill of about £1,356.89, or £135.69 over ten instalments.
| Council | Prices since 2005 | £200,000 today is about | Rates a year | £300,000 today is about | Rates a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | ×1.92 | £104,000 | £1,038.34 | £157,000 | £1,567.49 |
| Ards and North Down | ×1.84 | £109,000 | £1,089.35 | £163,000 | £1,629.02 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | ×1.88 | £106,000 | £1,162.93 | £159,000 | £1,744.39 |
| Belfast | ×1.86 | £108,000 | £1,085.51 | £162,000 | £1,628.26 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | ×1.94 | £103,000 | £1,097.98 | £155,000 | £1,652.30 |
| Derry City & Strabane | ×2.08 | £96,000 | £1,172.54 | £144,000 | £1,758.82 |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | ×1.94 | £103,000 | £1,032.78 | £155,000 | £1,554.19 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh | ×1.95 | £102,000 | £971.55 | £154,000 | £1,466.85 |
| Mid & East Antrim | ×1.83 | £109,000 | £1,223.74 | £164,000 | £1,841.23 |
| Mid Ulster | ×1.81 | £111,000 | £1,097.68 | £166,000 | £1,641.57 |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | ×2.04 | £98,000 | £1,034.68 | £147,000 | £1,552.03 |
How rough is it?
Rough enough that you should check the real value before you budget on it. The index is an average for the whole council, so a single home can be some way above or below it:
- Different kinds of home have risen at different speeds. Detached houses, terraces and apartments have not moved together since 2005.
- Some streets and towns have risen faster than their council's average.
- An extension or a new garage since 2005 raises the price today. LPS only counts it if the home has been revalued since the work.
- LPS assumes an average state of repair and standard fittings. A new kitchen adds to the price but not to the capital value, and a home needing work is the other way round.
- Prices were rising fast through 2005, so the quarter used for the start matters. This uses January to March 2005, the quarter that begins on the valuation date.
Above £400,000 of capital value the cap applies, so for the most expensive homes the estimate matters less: the bill can't go higher.
Questions
How do I work out the rates on a house I'm buying?
Find the home's capital value on the LPS valuation search or the listing, then multiply it by the council's rate in the pound for 2026/27. If you only know the price, scale it back to 2005 prices with the house price index first. The NI Rates calculator does both.
Is the capital value the same as the house price?
No. The capital value is what LPS says the home would have sold for on 1 January 2005. Today's price is usually far higher, so it can't be used in the sum directly.
Do rates go up when a house is sold?
No. A sale doesn't change the capital value. The rates for the home stay the same, apart from allowances or reliefs that were personal to the seller.
How much have house prices risen in Northern Ireland since 2005?
On the house price index, Northern Ireland prices were ×1.91 their January to March 2005 level in April to June 2026. By council it runs from ×1.81 in Mid Ulster to ×2.08 in Derry City & Strabane.
Sources
Read on 3 November 2026. This guide explains the rules in plain words. It isn't legal or financial advice, and the decision on your bill is LPS's.