Council Tax Cost Cutting: reduce your band and grab any discounts Discussion Area

Did you find your golden ticket of a sale price as at 1991 mcguire6078?

Zebedee & Guppy. Well I have heard from the Coventry VO and they say they have evidence of sales of 3 bed properties in our area in 1991 and they claim they are over £68,000 - albeit right down at the lower end, and the 4 beds are at the top end of the £88,000 cut-off. So that is 'Just my bad luck'! They have refused to lower my band from 'D' to 'C' saying that in their opinion they think it is correct. I have sent them extra evidence, including photos of some of the properties and they have said they might look at it again in view of this. The trouble is, I only have the Nationwide Calculated prices of the average properties sold in our area in 1991 which is not good enough - although these are almost £7,000 below the £68,000. point. I do have 'Real' evidence of properties sold in our area in 1996, the average of which was £69,300. (four years later) Also an actual sale of a property in our road which sold for £99,000 in 2001. Evidence I thought that surely a similar property could not possibly have sold for £68,000. in 1991? The differences between the 3 and four bedroomed properties in this area are tremendous - that's why I sent photographs. The first letter I got saying my proposal was invalid because I was out of time, says that in view of the invalidity of my claim, I could not demand to see their evidence of sales for 1991. Is this correct? What is the FO1 Act someone ealier mentioned, that says I have a right to see their evidence?
Anyway, I am going to attend the 'Invalidity Notice Appeal Tribunal' even though it seems a lost cause. The VO are claiming there was widespread publicity that people could appeal against their banding at the time the Council Tax was introduced, even to the extent that leaflets were distributed through letterboxes, I can't remember having received anything like this. I mean, every house in our area, 3 and 4 bed alike were banded at 'D' and in all the time since, not one 3 bed property owner has ever appealed! Why not, if it was so well publicised that they could? I can see where the VO is coming from in this case. It's not really one individual case they're looking at here. Because all the 3 bed properties in our area are Band 'D' they don't feel they can reduce one, because it would then open the flood gates for everyone else to claim too! It would cost the Council dearly!
The whole system of Council Tax across the country is a shambles and its about time all properties were re-valued properly. My son has recently bought a newly-built 3-bed detached property in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire (a really desirable part of the country.) Its value when he bought it was in the region of £250,000 and is now worth in excess of £3000,000. Guess what his Council Tax band is? 'D'! We would be lucky to get £178,000. for ours if we sold it! A friend of mine lives in Norfolk in a very similar property to ours and her Council Tax Band is 'B'! Her property is worth about the same as ours. Coventry already has one of the highest Council Tax charges in the country, so you can imagine what a Band 'D' property costs us!

Daisy_Bell wrote: »

Zebedee & Guppy. Well I have heard from the Coventry VO and they say they have evidence of sales of 3 bed properties in our area in 1991 and they claim they are over £68,000 - albeit right down at the lower end, and the 4 beds are at the top end of the £88,000 cut-off. So that is 'Just my bad luck'! They have refused to lower my band from 'D' to 'C' saying that in their opinion they think it is correct. I have sent them extra evidence, including photos of some of the properties and they have said they might look at it again in view of this. The trouble is, I only have the Nationwide Calculated prices of the average properties sold in our area in 1991 which is not good enough - although these are almost £7,000 below the £68,000. point. I do have 'Real' evidence of properties sold in our area in 1996, the average of which was £69,300. (four years later) Also an actual sale of a property in our road which sold for £99,000 in 2001. Evidence I thought that surely a similar property could not possibly have sold for £68,000. in 1991? The differences between the 3 and four bedroomed properties in this area are tremendous - that's why I sent photographs. The first letter I got saying my proposal was invalid because I was out of time, says that in view of the invalidity of my claim, I could not demand to see their evidence of sales for 1991. Is this correct? What is the FO1 Act someone ealier mentioned, that says I have a right to see their evidence?
Anyway, I am going to attend the 'Invalidity Notice Appeal Tribunal' even though it seems a lost cause. The VO are claiming there was widespread publicity that people could appeal against their banding at the time the Council Tax was introduced, even to the extent that leaflets were distributed through letterboxes, I can't remember having received anything like this. I mean, every house in our area, 3 and 4 bed alike were banded at 'D' and in all the time since, not one 3 bed property owner has ever appealed! Why not, if it was so well publicised that they could? I can see where the VO is coming from in this case. It's not really one individual case they're looking at here. Because all the 3 bed properties in our area are Band 'D' they don't feel they can reduce one, because it would then open the flood gates for everyone else to claim too! It would cost the Council dearly!
The whole system of Council Tax across the country is a shambles and its about time all properties were re-valued properly. My son has recently bought a newly-built 3-bed detached property in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire (a really desirable part of the country.) Its value when he bought it was in the region of £250,000 and is now worth in excess of £3000,000. Guess what his Council Tax band is? 'D'! We would be lucky to get £178,000. for ours if we sold it! A friend of mine lives in Norfolk in a very similar property to ours and her Council Tax Band is 'B'! Her property is worth about the same as ours. Coventry already has one of the highest Council Tax charges in the country, so you can imagine what a Band 'D' property costs us!

Daisy Bell Let us know what happens and the outcome of the tribunal. Other posters will be very interested. When is it?

By the way I think your signature sums up the VOA !!

Maisie

colinwcolclough wrote: »

Hi guys,

My local council (west dunbartonshire) seems very expensive compared to friends in other parts of the country ie I am paying £1189 pa for band B. Does anyone know of a website with a council tax comparison chart so I can see how my council actually compares with others nationwide.

Thank you,

Colin W Colclough

https://www.upmystreet.com lets you compare different areas with the average. Scotland has different property value ranges for each band than England.

The amount you pay for a band is based on a proportion of the average Band D amount for that council. Band A pays two thirds as much as Band D. Band H pays twice as much as Band D.

Also if you live in an authority where most properties are bunched in to the lower bands, you will end up paying more for a Band B than you would if you live somewhere really posh where most properties are in say Band G. The council have to divide whatever money they want between the bands they have in their area.

Hope that makes sense!

MSE_Archna wrote: »

This thread is here to discuss the content of the article on Council Tax Cashback: reduce your band and save £1000s.

However if you have already followed the system, please use report them in the Council tax rebanding successes discussion.

Note from Martin: Thank you to all the contributers to the initial thread, which provided the genisis for the article. Much appreciated.

Maisie and others. Our Hearing at the 'Invalidity' Tribunal is on the 27th June. I don't hold out much hope. They pretty much have us over a barrell. If you're 'Out of Time' you can only say why that is and nothing else. Because you're out of time, then the Council are not obliged to do anything but 'Look' at your request. As far as I'm concerned they can say anything they like about evidence they have, as they say they are not obliged to show us their 'Evidence' because our 'Proposal is 'Invalid'! Stalemate! However, don't they have to show us their 'Evidence' under the Freedom of Information Act? I intend to write to them again pointing this out. They can only tell me to get lost can't they?
NB:How do you use the 'Quote' facility on this Forum? It took me ages to find out how to actually read the messages, until I noticed the Thread Tools and then I realised I had to read them through the 'Printable Version'. Bit of a queer way of doing things it seems to me!