Council Tax Cost Cutting: reduce your band and grab any discounts Discussion Area
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Hi ChrissyL
I'm sorry, I hadn't realised you were in Scotland. My experience is only with the English side of things, I'm afraid. I had a look at the link you provided and as you say, there didn't seem to be much on there of any help.
I think what I would do would be to contact the Tribunal direct. Their details are:
The Lands Tribunal for Scotland
George House
126 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4HH
DX ED 259
LP 14 Edinburgh 2
Tel: 0131 271 4350
Fax: 0131 271 4399
E-mail: [EMAIL="mailbox@lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk"]mailbox@lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk[/EMAIL]
I phoned the Tribunal Service when I needed help and found them to be really good.
Unfortunately, there aren't many of us answering questions on this board. Most people seem to come on here, get the answers they want and then disappear. Only a few of us remain, trying to help others in the way we have been helped. It might be worth your while having a look on the 'Success Stories' thread of this board to find some people who have had success in Scotland and sending them a Private Message to ask them how they found what they needed.
Hope that helps!
Zebedeee0 -
Hopefully if I can see this through to the bitter end, I will become a Scottish Ambassador and promise to help others! LOLHi ChrissyL
I'm sorry, I hadn't realised you were in Scotland. My experience is only with the English side of things, I'm afraid. I had a look at the link you provided and as you say, there didn't seem to be much on there of any help.
I think what I would do would be to contact the Tribunal direct. Their details are:
The Lands Tribunal for Scotland
George House
126 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4HH
DX ED 259
LP 14 Edinburgh 2
Tel: 0131 271 4350
Fax: 0131 271 4399
E-mail: [EMAIL="mailbox@lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk"]mailbox@lands-tribunal-scotland.org.uk[/EMAIL]
I phoned the Tribunal Service when I needed help and found them to be really good.
Unfortunately, there aren't many of us answering questions on this board. Most people seem to come on here, get the answers they want and then disappear. Only a few of us remain, trying to help others in the way we have been helped. It might be worth your while having a look on the 'Success Stories' thread of this board to find some people who have had success in Scotland and sending them a Private Message to ask them how they found what they needed.
Hope that helps!
Zebedeee
I have read through the "SS" thread but could not see anything - will carry on my crusade tho...
Thanks again,
Chrissyl0 -
Hi can anyone here advise me please?
I have just won my fight to get my property re banded from a D to a C. It is a fight I have approached a number of times ... right back from when it was initially set in 1993.
The estate I live on is made up of properties that are mostly bigger than mine. There were only 4 houses like mine. It was always obvious to me that all the houses had been lumped together and we, and the other 3 had been lumped together in the wrong band. It has taken me 4 runs at this and eventually I demanded a visit from VOA. I had done my home work and had lo adds of evidence of similar, nearby properties and also I went to the local paper and photo copied properties advertised similar to mine in 1993 to support my claim.
The ultimate result is that I have won ... at last! My band has gone down from a D to a C and I will be getting my money refunded right back to 1993.
Now here is the nub of my question... I have just spoken to the bill department who couldn't give me any real info yet about how much to expect or when it will come. However when I asked about interest on my money that they have been holding for the last 14 years they seem to think I will not get any.
Does anyone know is this right? Is there anything I can do? Has anyone received interest on their refund?
I am particularly irritates that it has taken 4 attempts over 14 years to get them to put right their mistake!0 -
caughtinheadlights wrote: »Does anyone know is this right? Is there anything I can do? Has anyone received interest on their refund?
I am particularly irritates that it has taken 4 attempts over 14 years to get them to put right their mistake!
I'm not an expert on this side of things, but I would have thought the fact that you had previously flagged up the error but been rejected must count for something.
The recent decision would seem to suggest that an incorrect decision was reached the previous three times...good luck.0 -
If your tenants have been there for less than 6 months I would make an appeal with the tenants being the new occupiers and sign yourself as agent for the occupier. Any reduction would go back to the period when you where in occupationtotal_minutia wrote: »I moved house last year and have rented my old place out. On checking the council tax banding for my rented house I think I have over paid for the 7 years I lived there.
My question is have I missed the boat for rebanding and back pay? :eek:
I currently have new tennants but as owner of the property I'm responsible for council tax between tennants too so not all responsibility relinquished.
Has anyone any advice or suggestions on how I can check where I stand?
Many thanks
Total Minutia :cheesy:
Good luck
ExVOperson0 -
:mad:
I live in an end terrace of 4 IDENTICAL houses. Next door is in Band C whereas my house and the other 2 in the terrace, are all in Band D. I calculated prices for Q2 1991 and discovered that all were in the Band C price range (I am unsure about the other end terrace as it hasn't been sold for years, so no sales info online). In 2002 I bought my house for £127000 and next door (the one in the lower band) sold for £140000 in November of the same year. Mine has a slightly bigger garden than the other 3, but they all have a garage, which I do not!
I wrote to the VOA but they've refused to lower my band stating the following load of rubbish:
"I am satisfied that the value of your property, reflecting April 1991 levels of value, lies within the range £68000 to £88000 and that the current band of D is correct."
"....House prices indices cover wide geographic areas which have widely different property types. These indices are there to show general trends in house prices and are often based on a relatively small sample of evidence. Property values can vary from one end of a street to another............" - On this note, I'll point out that our 4 terrace houses are the CHEAPEST in the street! Houses at the other end of my road sell for £2 million!!!! Mine's currently worth under £200000!! Therefore if they've averaged it out including the whole street, that would have put me in a higher bracket so this makes no sense as a reason for not lowering my band! Is it worth me writing back and stating this??
I was so excited when I started this and found, according to this web site, that I had a strong case, and am absolutely gutted now it's been refused, with no appeal rights! I'm convinced they are wrong, but have no idea what I can do about it!!
I would appreciate any help anyone can give me!!
Thank you.0 -
Hi indie_girl. I think that is a fairly standard letter they have sent you and to be honest they are hoping you will just go away. It sounds like you have some good reasons to query your banding. To back up the evidence you have already got, are there more houses like yours, say in an adjoining street? If you can get bands and values for these too then you will have more power to your elbow.
Also, have you tried getting newspaper archive evidence of actual selling prices in 1991? This can be very strong evidence.
Plus, if you can find a simillar property to your own which has won at tribunal you can use this to give you a right to appeal.
Hope that helps!
Zebedeee0 -
So, I've had a letter today saying they are sure that F is the correct band for my 2-bed flat, and in the light of this I might want to withdraw my appeal.
Spoke to them on the phone - they are refusing to accept comparable local bands, or asking price evidence from the 1991 papers. They can't give me what they are relying on, due to data protection.
So we're off to tribunal! No date set yet, so I shall continue paying £300 a month until further notice. Some of their phrasing made me think that they are relying on claiming the area is a nice area now than it was in 1991 (not sure about this actually) and therefore they are assessing what my flat would have sold for in 1991 in a nicer part of town.
Grr!Hurrah, now I have more thankings than postings, cheers everyone!0 -
If that is the reasoning they are using then they are out of line! Your property can only be valued on how it was in 1991, not how it is now. If you put your argument to the tribunal panel clearly and logically it would seem like you have a very good chance.Some of their phrasing made me think that they are relying on claiming the area is a nice area now than it was in 1991 (not sure about this actually) and therefore they are assessing what my flat would have sold for in 1991 in a nicer part of town.
All the very best!
Zebedeee0 -
I am very happy to join in the forum and discuss with you together.:j0
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