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Reclaim mortgage fees, council tax, etc

The place to discuss your efforts to reclaim money you've overpaid - for example, getting your Council Tax band changed. Share your success stories too!

Refused council tax single person discount because of a closed Universal Credit claim
I was made redundant in early 2021 and have claimed universal credit for most of the year. I recently moved to Edinburgh for a new job though, and began renting a flat. However when I registered to pay council tax and requested a single person discount, I was refused the discount for some reason (full email text below).…
Council Tax Increase
Hello I moved into my present property in January 2018. The property had been extended 20 years before, but the council tax band had never been changed. I asked several people, including the solicitor that acted for me when I purchased, if the was a period after which the council could not increase the banding. The general…
Refused council tax single person discount because of a closed Universal Credit claim
I was made redundant in early 2021 and have claimed universal credit for most of the year. I recently moved to Edinburgh for a new job though, and began renting a flat. However when I registered to pay council tax and requested a single person discount, I was refused the discount for some reason (full email text below).…
Dodgy council tax letter?
Hello! something quite weird happened. I moved to a new property in June this year and right away registered online for the council taxes and paid a first installment. Last week I received 2 letters supposedly from the council. One for this house, and one for another, random house I don't own. Puzzled, we asked the…
Council not giving council tax discount
Just wanted to get some advice on the forum please. I live with my disabled, bedbound 24/7 care dad and am his carer. My partner cares for me as I have poor mental health. We are both on universal credit. My dad received state pension and attendance allowance, with little savings. The council tax is in his name for his…
Awarded CCJ against rogue builder. What now?
Firstly, thanks for your time in reading this and any help you can offer is much appreciated. During the summer of 2020 we contracted a local builder to carry out a garage conversion and build a single-storey extension. We carried out checks on previous work etc and were pretty sure of this builder's credentials. To cut a…
Council tax successful challenge, following probate purchase
We bought our current home following a lengthy probate. The previous owners had passed away and had been in the property for many years. I challenged the council tax banding successfully, it was an identical property to others in the lower bracket, so was straight forward (albeit covid slowed the process) There are 2…
Alteration to an entry in the valuation list - back dating
I took over a property in 2015 - a house with a cottage, receiving council tax as a single property. In 2020, I was sent a "notice of alteration to an entry in the valuation list" because it was a single dwelling and should be shown as two with separate bands. They backdated it to 2011, but then adjusted their bills to the…
Cancelling Council Tax DD
I let a property in Scotland and there was a void of a couple of months between tenants so I was liable for the council tax. I dutifully completed the online form to tell the council the tenant was moving out and that I was liable. I have been paying the bill by DD but never received a bill in the post so I ended up having…
Money Moral Dilemma: Should I challenge our council tax band if it means my neighbour may pay more?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... We live in a four-bedroom semi-detached bungalow and are in council tax band D, which I'd never questioned. But recently my next-door neighbour told me she's in the cheaper band B, and her home has exactly the same layout. I'd love to claw back some council tax, but I'm…
Council Tax Banding - valuation reduction post 1991
My 3 bed detached is in Council Tax band F; the house sits in ~ .5 acre of land. From what I understand the banding calculation was based on valuations c.1991. However, since 2000 at least an acre of land adjoining the house was sold and 3 new properties have subsequently been built, two large 5 beds and one bungalow. I’m…
Ground rent charge increase after selling house.
Hi, I have been notified that I am in arrears of my ground rent charges. I have now sold this house and it was checked that I was up to date with these payments. However, my ground rent company has now been bought out and the new company has stated that my ground rent should have been reviewed when I bought the house 5…
Overcharged for part year of council tax?
So we will contact the council about this on Monday to check but have tried searching to find out what's supposed to happen in this instance and can't find anything. We have been renting out my partners house and the tenants moved out the end of September so for this year they have been paying council tax from April to…
Claiming council tax dated back to 2002
As we all face testing time with money, I like many others have looked to look at cutting costs. I have decided to challenge the council tax band that I have been charged since we moved in nearly 20 years ago. After gathering all the required evidence I have won my case and my band has been reduced from a band E to a band…
Council tax band “spreads”
Hi - first time poster here. I wondered if anyone has ever tried/successfully challenged the “spread” in England’s council tax bands? Reason I ask is “Band G” is stipulated as £160k-320k - you could drive a bus through that spread! Naturally, this means that there are “mega mansions” and relatively modest 4 bed homes (like…
Council Tax Nightmare
I've been having a long-standing battle regards council tax for a number of years. To cut a very long story as short as I can, I had an arrangement with our local Council's debt collectors and paid just under £3000 (most of it cleared the arrears my late husband left me) - or so I thought. The amounts they were claiming…
Council Tax - Challenging new valuation (what does similar "type" mean?)
We have recently built a new house, to replace a house that was structurally unsound. The new property has one additional bedroom and our council tax has risen from band C to F. We are looking into putting in an appeal proposal. Our property is a rural property and we have approx 3 acres of land. When they ask for you to…
How do you find full address, to check council tax band?
I'm sure this is probably a stupid question, so apologies in advance! I'm looking at challenging our council tax band and I'm searching on Rightmove to find similar properties in the towns nearest to my house. The problem is that I need the full address to find them on the Gov.Uk website. I can search by road name, but…
Council tax rebanding evidence nightmare, specialists?
Hi, I am having trouble trying to get my house rebabnded, it was newly built just before corona virus hit and banded in my opinion and going by neighbous houses that are similar, 2 bands too high which I cannot afford. I have sent in evidence of 5 similar properties, same amount of bedrooms as mine, detached like mine,…
Housing Association council tax reband
First off, apologies if this has been asked a lot before. I’ve lived in a housing association property since 2008. It’s a small 2 bed property, built in the early 90s in Redbridge. It’s in band D. As are all the properties around it. The trouble is a lot of those properties are actually 3 bed. So obviously worth more.…

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Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
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Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
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Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
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