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Second Home
I have lived overseas in Australia for 44 years, I retired a few years ago and decided to purchase a flat in Scotland which I use as my main residence in the UK for 6 months of the year. I received a communication from the local council saying that they were going to double my Council Tax. Is this legal as I am paying full…
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Council tax banding challenge becoming impossible
Dear Martin and Team I really feel your team need to look into how to challenge your council tax band as your current advice seems no longer applicable. I followed your instructions, providing nationwide statistical information and listing other similar properties in close proximity of mine which are in a lower band. The…
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Hampshire CT adding 100 per cent premium as property empty after one year
Hi all. I just had notification from Hampshire CT that they are charging us another £1456 for the rest of the ct year - so want payments of £414 from November. We cant afford the normal amount. Is there anything we can do? We own a buy to let but the tenant left last June (23) - the place was in a horrendous state with…
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Valuation Office Delays - Council Tax Challenge (June 2024)
Is anyone else waiting a very long period of time to hear back from the Valuations Office regarding their Council Tax challenge? Back in Feb 24 in submitted a challenge as the house adjoining mine (semi-detached) is two bands lower. I called the Valuations Office and they sent me a document showing that they held my…
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Empty property Councill Tax premium
Hi - I'm a forum Newbie looking for some advice. We bought a property in June that had been empty for some time. As it turns out, 15 years. So you can imagine it needs one or 2 things doing to it. As we had some immediate work that needed addressing (leaking roof, damp, replastering etc) we couldn't move in straight away…
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Council Tax increase - Annex was here when we moved in
Hi all, we moved into our property in Dec 2023. Now in Sep 2024 we have received a letter from the Valuation Office Agency stating that the property had an Annex extension and we need to provide details (measurements, photos etc). For info, the previous owner converted the garage and side passageway into a bedroom and…
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Council tax banding
I live in a semi detached two bedroom bungalow built 1999 therefore before April 1991. We bought in 2020. We are in band C and the three bedrooms semi detached houses on the same road are in band B. Any advice as I don’t have proof of the original sale in January 2000. There were 8 bungalows built 1999 on the road all…
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Council tax demand for somewhere I never lived
Hi everyone, I'll try to keep this short... * I was evicted from my previous home due to a sale. (I live alone) * In my fear of being made homeless, I signed an agreement for a property I couldnt afford. * During the reluctant process of moving in to the new property, I was able to surrender the agreement with the…
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Unfair council tax for bungalows
I live in a small, two
bedroom bungalow in Croydon with one bathroom, classed as Band E. I tried challenging this
with the appropriate body years ago but it was rejected as the same type of properties
in my area are all classed as Band E. This is also the same band for some 4 bedroom
properties in the area, how can this be…
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Query regarding council tax bill based on retrospective banding change (Scotland)
I had a question - I am being charged a bill for tax from Glasgow city council. I moved out of the rental property in question in 2019, at which point they had advised me there was 0 liability left in terms of taxes. So I queried what the bill is about, and they told me it is for a retrospective banding change (increase)…
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Council Tax Query
Good morning all! I'm currently sole tenant in rented accommodation for which I pay sole tenant council tax. I have bought a house which I plan to move in to. The house will remain empty for 6 months however, due to the need for refurbishment and renovation. I've a few questions: * Must the house be registered for Council…
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Council tax - Uni student studying from home / Single Person Discount
Hello, I'm hoping for some help here. I live with my two young adult 'children'. They are both university students. There is no one else living in my home other than the three of us. So, I am claiming a single person discount on my council tax. My daughter has just gone back to university. But, my son had a lot of…
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Ive been hit with a 200% charge because my property was empty for 5 years before i owned it?!!
Can anyone advise me if this has happened to them or a way forward with this. I bought an old cottage in Oct 23, I didnt move in until July 24 as I had to do some work on it. I notified Stafford council that i had purchased the property (to avoid running up bill!) They couldnt locate the property and despite numerous…
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Council tax too high
Hi, asking on behalf of my parents. They live in a 3 bed bungalow in a road with a mixture of properties. The other properties are houses, mostly 5 bed. Their neighbours have had their council tax reduced after contacting their council but after several attempts they have had no luck getting theirs reduced and pay the same…
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Lamp post on my property
I've seen similar discussions, but none that precisely match my situation. I own a property that borders parking spaces belonging to flats further down the road. My property has its own driveway, and the parking is managed by an estate management company to which I contribute a small amount for the upkeep of the culvert.…
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Council Tax Summins
This is for my daughter. She has just received in the post today a Court Summons for unpaid council tax for 2022/23. (roughly just over £1000) It is the remnants of a 2 year billing when the council, despite requests from my daughter did not set up her bill for 2 years resulting in a bill of £5000 plus charges. She is up…
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Proof of residency for council tax
If I let my son live rent free in my second home property in Wales he has agreed to pay the council tax. How do I prove to the council that he is living there? What would documents I be expected to provide? Would I have to meet the councils requirements as a landlord even though the property an off grid wooden shack…
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Single person discount?
Can anyone advise please. My son currently lives somewhere with a shared address and the post is not safe. He wants to start building a credit score so he can look at purchasing his own flat. My sister is retired and has offered to let her use her address for post only. She is in receipt of the 25% single person council…
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Double council tax fees
Following the death of my dad and going through probate which took 6 months , 2 sales on my dads flat have fallen through and as the house has now been empty for over a year I am charged double council tax . Initially I was allowed a concession to deduct from the estate but as my said has fallen through ( so stressful )…
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Property valuation for council tax
I have recently downsized to a one-off new build house. There are no others identical and few new build houses in the area but I have challenged my council tax banding as the most similar nearby house is in a lower band. VOA have rejected my proposal and I now want to prepare a case for a tribunal. How do they calculate…
