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

exvoperson · 26 May 2008 at 10:56AM

losgiganteskid wrote: »

Thanks Zebedeee - the fight goes on !!

Not sure when next door had their banding reduced, but virtually certain it was well over 6 months ago. I have to say though that the two properties are chalk and cheese (we are not on an estate with identical houses) one a detached bungalow one a detached house - don't suppose that helps !

You could ask the VO for a viewing of the case papers on the next door property under FOI. They may blank out any sales evidence that was refered to but you could ask your neighbour what sales evidence was used by the VO
Also you could check to see if any similar properties in the valuation list have been reduced and ask to see the case papers on those ones as well.
regards
ExVOperson

vivatifosi · 28 May 2008 at 4:03PM

Following our successful tribunals and a number of subsequent appeals, the VOA has now rebanded all of the 3 bedroom houses on our estate, and all of the 3 beds on the neighbouring estate. That takes our success rate up to 23! Next step, the smaller houses!

t-elle · 29 May 2008 at 1:05PM

I decided to apply for rebanding (D to C) at the end of February 2008 and was refused as the matter was fully investigated!?!?! I had a letter back within two weeks so I guess the office wasn't busy to get back that quickly.

Today I sent back a copy the original estate agent details with the asking price and my offer letter (yes I keep everything) and a list of similar properties on our street in Band C.
Hopefully with written proof of the value of the house I can post a success story in a few weeks!

vivatifosi · 30 May 2008 at 12:28PM

Good luck t-elle. Its good to keep trying and not give up! I was told I didn't have a chance, and now, per my note above, they have rebanded 23 houses! Don't give up!

cflarry · 2 June 2008 at 9:33AM

Could anyone tell me if I can claim a refund of payments from a house I have moved out of ?

I lived in the property from 1995 to 2004.

vivatifosi · 2 June 2008 at 3:31PM

Hi cflarry,

You can't instigate a claim on a house that you have already moved out of, but if the people who live there now are successful with a claim you should receive a payment for the period between the date that the council tax is rebanded from (you can look that date up under "effective from" against your old address on the VOA website), and the date on which you moved out.

daveleeuk · 6 June 2008 at 10:41AM

Hi everyone,

I moved into my apartment about 2 years ago now, and am paying almost 2300pa council tax, without any discounts, despite the fact im only 22. Seems a bit unfair to me.

I am banded on band G, yet other apartments in the same building are E, and F. Which I presume is because they challenged it?

My previous dwellers lived there between 2002 and 2006 paying that rate. I would like to make a claim to save myself money and give them some money back too. The thing is the property was only built in 2002, so how am i supposed to get a 1991 valuation

Zebedeee · 6 June 2008 at 2:05PM

Read through previous posts, daveleeuk, for lots of ways to find your 1991 value.

Do you know how your appartment compares in size and value to those of your neighbours? You can check their band history on the VOA website to see if they have challenged their band.

You can get a discount on your council tax, I believe, if you are a single occupant. Otherwise, you have to cough up the full whack, just like the rest of us.:D

daveleeuk · 6 June 2008 at 2:22PM

Zebedeee wrote: »

Read through previous posts, daveleeuk, for lots of ways to find your 1991 value.

Do you know how your appartment compares in size and value to those of your neighbours? You can check their band history on the VOA website to see if they have challenged their band.

You can get a discount on your council tax, I believe, if you are a single occupant. Otherwise, you have to cough up the full whack, just like the rest of us.:D

Well some have a sea view and some dont but all are a similiar size. Mine has a sea view, and is currently worth 350,000 (aprx 106,000 in 1991 using the nationwide thing). And the other apartments (non sea view) are going for 320,000 which isnt really that much of a difference, yet they get two bands below me (E) I dont really think that's fair.

For my place to have been worth 160,000+ in 1991 it would have to be worth approximately 550,000 today. Which its not!

Unfortunately (in this case lol) i live with my partner. And we both work, so you're right, i'm not entitled to discounts. Maybe I should have chosen to be dumb enough to have a kid when I was 16 instead of getting a job and more education, that way I'd be getting tax credits, council tax discounts, income tax benefits, food vouchers, child support bla bla bla. But instead I try and be succesfull and get nothing but stung for it. Thanks Labour.

Anyway, I'm going off topic now so i'll stop.

Joy, lol, 130 something pages to crawl through

vivatifosi · 6 June 2008 at 2:41PM

Hi daveleeuk,

When zebedeee and I ask people to read back through 130 plus pages its our cunning plan to make others have the same knowledge as us so we can get other people to help us answer other peoples' questions in the future

.

Well, ok its not really but although we can advise you with specific questions, by your reading around the question you may note something that you don't think to ask us, so it really is the best way...

Good luck with the appeal, it does sound as though you have a good case.

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

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