If you live in an old house, you’ve probably wondered from time to time about its age and its previous owners. Who built it? Who lived here? What were their lives like?

We may be able to help.

Our main source for information about a house’s previous occupants is local government rate and valuation books.

The CSU Regional Archives has rate and valuation books for many local councils, including Greater Hume, Hay, Illabo, Junee, Kyeamba, Lockhart, Mitchell, Narrandera, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Urana, Wagga Wagga, and Waradgery.

The majority of these records date from 1907 up to the 1950s, however there are a few exceptions; the Wagga Wagga City Council rate books date back to 1873.

The type of information that can potentially be gleaned from these records includes the names of the owners and lessees, their occupations, whether the location has a building or is vacant, the building’s use (eg residence, workshop, café, shop), the type of building (ie brick or timber), the valuation of the property, whether the building had gas, electricity, sewerage or a garbage service. Sometimes even the price paid for the property has been recorded in these books.

If you would like to discover more about the history of your house, the local government rate and valuation books are available in our Search Room anytime during opening hours. Our staff can help familiarise you with the records so you can do your own research.