The government led by Andy Burnham has announced plans to deploy inspectors to assess the value of homes, with homeowners potentially facing fines if they refuse entry. HM Revenue & Customs valuation officers will have the authority to enter properties to determine if their value exceeds £2 million, which would make them liable for the newly introduced mansion tax.
Refusal to admit these inspectors could be considered a criminal offence, subjecting homeowners to fines of up to £200, according to reports from The Telegraph. The mansion tax itself will vary depending on the property’s value, with annual charges ranging from £2,500 to £7,500. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that approximately 165,000 homes will be affected by this tax in the financial year 2028/29.
Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson has confirmed that homeowners may be contacted by the Valuation Office to arrange a visit for property assessment. Jonathan Russell, the head of the Valuation Office Agency, informed Members of Parliament in January that valuation officers might visit properties with an indicative value as low as £1.5 million to ensure accurate assessments.
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Under the Local Government Finance Act 1992, individuals who intentionally delay or obstruct authorised valuation officers carrying out their duties may face fines up to £200 upon conviction. Furthermore, anyone who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a formal notice requesting specific property information could be fined up to £500.
The proposed measures have attracted criticism, with Labour Party leader Andy Burnham being dubbed the “Sheriff of Nottingham” by a Conservative MP in response to the deployment of HMRC valuation officers to assess eligibility for the mansion tax. Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Mike Wood, speaking on GB News, expressed concerns that these “council tax police” might intrusively enter family homes to find ways to increase property valuations and thereby raise tax liabilities.
Wood remarked, “It’s hard to believe that this is something seriously being proposed in Britain. I’m not sure if ‘Orwellian’ is the right word, but this policy certainly raises serious concerns.” He further criticised the Prime Minister and said, “This is less like the Mayor of Manchester and more like the Sheriff of Nottingham.”
He warned that while the current threshold for the tax is set at £2 million, it is unlikely to remain at this level indefinitely. “We anticipate that more and more homes will be brought under this so-called super tax as time goes on,” he said.