A valuation roll is a rumour until it is gazetted.

Because a new valuation roll only counts once the municipality formally publishes it and opens it for inspection, every figure quoted before then is a rumour that nobody can object to.

Rumours start early. Someone hears that values on a certain street have jumped, a neighbour is sure the rates will double, and the numbers travel around the area for months. None of them has any standing. The roll becomes real when a public notice tells owners where the roll can be seen and how long they have to lodge an objection. Before that there is nothing official to read and nothing to dispute.

The inspection period is the window that matters. An owner can look up the value the municipality placed on the property and compare it with what similar homes nearby have actually sold for. If the roll value is clearly out of line, the objection process runs on evidence, such as recent sales, the size of the house and its condition, and anything a valuer could not have seen from the street. Worry spent on the draft costs nothing. A missed objection window is paid on every rates account for as long as that roll stands.