Six months after handover on a completed project, a prefectural tax bill arrives. The owner was not expecting it. The project was finished, the keys had been handed over, and the file, in the owner’s mind, was closed. The bill was not large relative to the total project cost, but it was real, it was due, and it had never been in the budget. That conversation happens more often than it should. On the projects we consult on, we aim to raise these costs at the land acquisition stage or at the point of receiving builder quotes, whichever comes first. Early visibility is the objective. This article explains what they are, how they are structured, and when they arrive.
