Are there any agents who are still having trouble registering (or re-registering) with HMRC for anti-money laundering?
The deadline (for most agents) of April 1 is just two working days away, but EYE is continuing to hear from agents who are having difficulty with the online system.
One reader, Chris Willey, managing director of Wilsons in Taunton, Somerset, said that despite repeated attempts at re-registering, he has still not managed to.
“I am getting nowhere every time I try,” he said. “I got through to a helpline last Friday and ‘Claire’ from HMRC undertook to ring to help, but after two requests, I have yet to hear from her.”
He added: “My main difficulty has been retrieving lost Government Gateway numbers which are required, together with mislaid user name and passwords. When attempting to reset them, the system takes me round in circles and the helplines and online chats have proved useless.
“My renewal and fee are due by April 1, but the way things are, I can’t see how I can comply when I can’t operate the system.”
By yesterday, he had still not managed to re-register
Terry Holmes, director at Beresfords Residential in Essex, originally raised the problems in EYE.
He says he has now discovered another problem, with HMRC this year adding a new question.
This asks: “In the last 12 months did you have customers who lived or worked outside of the UK?”
If you answer yes, you are then asked where did these customers live or work.
It then tells you to list the countries – up to ten. If there are over ten countries, you have to list the ones where customers brought in the most money to your business.
Holmes said his firm uses one of the leading software systems, but it would not be possible to use this to answer the question.
He said: “You’d have to search every single country on your database and then tot up the the income of every single property to determine which one brings in the most revenue.
“Even if you could do that, it would be totally inaccurate as it depends on how the customer sets out the address when they give it you.
“For example, you search for Spain but that wouldn’t pick up anyone who has given Espana. Nor would it pick up an address where they’ve just given a city and a zip or postal code.”
EYE would be very grateful to readers if you could post up any problems you have encountered in trying to register or re-register, or any observations you may have.
If you would rather not post, email ros@propertyindustryeye.com
If there is sufficient feedback, I will make representations to HMRC through their press office, so they are at least aware that agents are doing their best to re-register but that many are having problems.
I may even pass on Holmes’ sensible suggestion that HMRC should consider trialling next year’s questionnaire with some agents first.
Comments (12)
This from someone in my office. “Just spoke to a really helpful guy, Stuart Henderson, but he didn’t know how to solve the problem either!! I have to email him all the details and he will try and find out how it can be solved. He said do not worry that it may go over the renewal deadline as they know we are trying to renew but have not been able to as yet. He also said he knows Government Gateway can be complicated and that the anti money laundering department did not want their renewals to be done through this system but they did not have any choice and that he knows the renewal system is having some problems.” So, relax folks! Happy Easter!
After hours of trying and pulling nearly all my hair out, I despaired and sent a cheque to the department in full payment. A week later a letter came back saying they didn’t accept cheques and told me to try again with my Government Gateway just like I did before.
I tried again for an hour or two, got nowhere and pulled the rest of my hair out.
Someone, somewhere, has a lot to answer for.
Maybe they can’t accept cheques without conducting AML checks, and seeing as they can’t use their own system to register for AML they are in the same boat as the rest of us!
Being primarily a letting agent there didn’t seem to be a need to register but with a small amount of block management work I was advised that I should. After many attempts (involving a certain amount of bodging answers) I got to the end but was unable to pay. Don’t know where I am now!
And I thought it was just me! I spent half a day trying to re-register and got nowhere. I had the exact same Gateway account issues as everyone has described. When I called the number given, I got through to a chap that suggested I just paid it into the same account as I had for the previous year, which I did. I have now received a ‘non payment of renewal fee’ letter. For the love of God, how difficult can this be?
what was the helpline number? – i cant even find that! my gateway ID doesnt work and im pulling my hair out!
I called the number at the top of the letter – 03000 556546. However, that route didn’t work out for me either so have resorted to sending a letter!
It really is almost impossible…worse than the registration last year which took forever.
Same here, I tried several times and in the end wrote to HMRC who wrote back advising me to start over with new gateway account. After 2 attempts I have given up!
What a frustrating process! I’ve been trying to re-register all March. Having initially lost my Gateway account number, I was told by the helpline to set up a new Gateway account which I did. I then completed the lengthy (35 minute!) registration process, only to click the final ‘submit’ button and get an error message saying that as my company was already registered I had to use the original gateway account. I then find the original number but can’t find/recall the password, so follow the links to retrieve the password (that’s a story in itself) but find that HMRC have changed the AMLR registration number from the one I was sent by post last April, and their system doesn’t recognise the original one so won’t send me a new password! I’ve emailed HMRC last Friday asking for them to send me my ‘new’ AMLR number but no response as yet.
THANK GOD I AM NOT ALONE I have been pulling my hair out for at least 8 weeks, after many webchats / telephone calls / complaint emails i’m Still going round in circles, I must have at least 20 accounts were I just have to start again. Yesterday they did give me an email for the ML department but said there’s a 10 day turn around for them to get back to you
Absolutely. We have had a horrendous problem with this and got nowhere. Worse still this is stopping us dealing with TPOS matters.