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Council Tax Challenge - What other evidence can I get?
I live in a street of 6 detached houses. They were all new builds in 2020. They are all identical houses, the only difference is the size of gardens. Checking the purchase prices for each house, they range from £320,000 up to £345,000, purchased between Aug and Nov 2020. We are all in band E. I did the checks as per the…
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New Build Property Management overdue Service Charge Legal Development Fees
Having moved into a new build residential property, when fees come through from our property management company (Gateway) we pay on time including any adjustments throughout the year. Received a letter from Gateway stating an additional £41 is due to our unit and reading the fine print it states that it’s aligned to legal…
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Council Tax Band Lowered
Hello, I have just received a new Council Tax demand for 2024/25 from City of Westminster with my property placed in band D. At the beginning of the new tax year it was in band E. I have not challenged my banding. I am going through a lease extension and can only assume this is the reason. I inherited the property from my…
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Tax refund - make sure you request it!
I completed my tax return back in April for 23/24 and got confirmation (on screen) that I was due a tax refund. I've been sat waiting for this refund to be sent by cheque and hadn't received it. So I logged back on to my Gov Gateway yesterday and after A LOT of searching I eventually found a page where I had to go and…
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GMAC AND PCP CLAIMS
As you can see, I'm new to this. I contacted Blackhorse for one of my cars, they have been very helpful so far. I have two other Vauxhalls which have been on PCP. One I am sure is GMAC, the other I think is Vauxhall Finance. Any help on how to contact either would be great please. Tried Google, but just gives me a…
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Do I have a claim for incorrect band?
Hi, I live in a 2 bed flat in a block that consists of 12 flats in total. I purchased the flat 3 years ago. The block is located behind several larger houses - ie. some 3 bed detached, some 4 bed. I've recently discovered that the houses in front of the flats are also band C, despite being much bigger properties, and as…
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2nd home SDLT - replacing main residence (not married)
I have a 2nd home SDLT question and would be grateful for any help. I own a home. My partner will have sold his soon. We currently live in my property. If we buy another property together, which will be our main residence, and keep my house, will we be liable for 2nd home SDLT rates? It is unclear from the HMRC website as…
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2nd home council tax premium on children's flat
We own a flat in Stoke Newington which is lived in full time and rent free by our 2 daughters who are working in London. They pay all bills for flat, including standard council tax. Will we be subject to the 100% 2nd home council tax premium when it is introduced next April? Can we avoid it by creating some kind of formal…
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moving home - council tax questions
I'm moving out of my current address soon and am planning
to stay with a friend outside the local council area for a couple of weeks, after
which I will either move elsewhere in the UK or abroad. My plans are not
finalised in this regard yet. My local council insists on their online form
that I must tell them where I’m…
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Council tax band
Hello I live in a council property, I'm in a 1 bed flat and on the same council band as a 3 bed and a 2 bed flat, some have gardens. Is this right? Are all flats in a block meant to be on the same council band? I'm currently on band C. Thanks in advance
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Money Moral Dilemma: Should I tell the previous owner of my home he's due a council tax refund?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I recently bought a house, and during the sale process the previous owner made various promises he didn't keep, leaving me around £2,000 out of pocket. After moving in, I followed Martin's guide on challenging your council tax band, and was successful, so I'll save £550 a…
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COUNCIL TAX SUMMONS
Hi , I have this morning received a council tax summons for a court hearing . This time around i did not receive any Notcie Letter to say i was in arrears . I have in the past had this letter usually with 14 days in which to pay however on this occasion i have gone straight from the bill issued in April to a Summons this…
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Parents going into a nursing home
Not sure if this is the correct location, but I would value some advice. My parents are going to be moving into a nursing home in the next couple or three weeks. From what I have read they should be able to reclaim all of their council tax. However, my sister and her husband live a way away and would likely stay in the…
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council bill maths breakdown overcharging. can it be claimed back under Direct Debit Indemnit
i have been paying my council tax by monthly direct debits for 10 years and has 5 element percentage annual increases of Police/Fire/ Council/Adult social care and Parish council and took the overall annual increase at face value. However a basic visual check of the 5 element % increases from the previous year clearly is…
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Rules about single person occupancy discount for Council Tax
When two people live in a property, and one person goes on extended travel overseas for many months, what are the rules about when/ whether the single person occupancy CT discount is applicable? Thank you.
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Long Term empty premium - Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023
I purchased a property in Dec23 which was not at a stage where it could be furnished straight away, due to renovation works needed. I was hoping to extend the property via permitted development, which was recently refused, so I have now applied for Planning. I will not hear back re the planning application until July. A…
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Could I change council tax band on new valuation
I'm buying my first home in Scotland which is currently tax band F which feels pretty high. The house was first sold in 2012 for £269,995. It's had a pretty big decrease in value and is now valued at £210,000 which is what I've paid. Is it possible to ask for the band to be reassessed based on the most recent sale value?…
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On Disability Benefits & Being Charged Council Tax
Just moved house and district and the new council (South Holland) have a policy of charging every household, regardless of income status, a minimum of 25% Council Tax. Anyone know of any other council doing this as I need to challenge it. It feels inappropriate to me that a council can effectively 'divert' money the…
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Student Council Tax Problem
My daughter has been at university for the last 4 years. In January she received a bill for council tax for 2022. She rang the council and they said they hadn’t received her exemption certificate. She still had a copy so sent it on. They then said she owed a month as she moved into the property before her course started.…
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Council Tax on Second Home
My wife and I own and live in two properties - an inherited larger house in the country and a small flat in London. The country house would have the greater value. We sold our primary residence about 12 years ago shortly after we had inherited the country house, and paid no capital gains on the sale. We used some of the…
