WHAT ’ S NEW Real Estate : Tips from the Vermont Department of Taxes
Recently , Douglas Farnham , Director of the Vermont Department of Taxes Division of Property Valuation & Review , reached out to the members of the real property listserve to share some practice tips and note some changes within the Department . It is his goal to reach as many practitioners as possible so that the process goes more smoothly for the Department and for its users . He relayed the following information :
Current Use Lien Subordinations
Lien subordinations are no longer handled by Alison Moody in the Department ’ s Legal Division . These applications are now processed by staff in the Current Use section . Each staff member handles the applications associated with the towns that the particular staff member supports . The best way to submit inquiries is through the tax . currentuse @ vermont . gov email inbox , which inquiries will get routed to the proper staff member . If you require a telephone conversation , please call ( 802 ) 828-5860 and follow the prompts to be routed to the correct staff member .
Currently , the goal of the Department is to process these applications in 4 weeks or less and , as staff learns the process and makes improvements , the Department hopes to reduce that time , providing prompt , reliable service . The Department wants to remind applicants that work on an application will not begin until the application fee is received . It is now preferred that the paper application come in with the check attached . Lien subordination forms and materials can be found at http :// tax . vermont . gov / research-and-reports / document-library / tax-forms / property-owners .
Required Fields
A number of practitioners have been leaving the SSN , FEIN , and closing date fields blank or incorrect on submitted forms , particularly on payment vouchers . The Department reminds applicants that leaving these fields blank or with incorrect information will result in a bill to the client ! The SSN and FEIN fields are critical for matching payments to applications so that taxpayers are given proper credit for their payments . Please remember that the Department receives more than 20,000 transfers a year and cannot hold every bill printed by our system to search for payments with incomplete information . It is in everyone ’ s best interest to submit forms to the Department properly and completely .
Real Estate Withholding and Land Gains Certificates
After Mike Piwowarski and Sherry Goodell left the Division , many of you may have noticed differences in the certification process and may have experienced difficulties connecting with the right person . Please note that these certification requests are now handled by several staff , and not one in particular . Inquiries can be made by calling ( 802 ) 828-5860 . Although work will be completed as quickly as possible with a proper review , expected turnaround time for these certificates is 10 business days , so please plan appropriately for closings because Department staff may not be able to support last minute requests . Practitioners may also find that more complete requests are being required prior to receiving a certificate . This is practice is to ensure that all processes and requirements are met , errors are minimized and all parties have the same expectations . This method will help expedite the certificate process going forward and provide a much greater degree of certainty .
18 THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2016 www . vtbar . org