VOA want to visit...

dfarry

Hi all, I've just moved into a four bed detached that was extended from 3 beds in 2000.

Currently we pay Band D Council tax (about £1400 a year). Yesterday though, as expected I received a letter from the VOA saying they want to come to the house.... look around and take some photo's.

I know that they are going to now bump up the valuation band but as my house is basically one of a kind I will only be able to compare against other 4 bed's in the area I guess.

Obviously no one wants to pay extra tax but apart from anything else does this person have the right to enter my home and look around? I have nothing to hide but dont feel that a complete stranger should be able to traipse all over my house, if they want to take some pictures from outside then I have no problem with that.

If anyone can clarify this I'd be grateful.

lincroft1710

In order to see exactly what has happened they need to at least take external measurements and an internal inspection may be helpful/necessary. VOA do have rights of inspection and have made millions of such visits over the years.

It is very, very rare that a taxpayer completely refuses to co-operate and if this happens VOA will estimate what new band should be. Then if taxpayer appeals and appeal proceeds to Tribunal (which is most likely), the Tribunal will insist that VOA be allowed to inspect so that they can be in possession of all facts before making a decision. So the taxpayer would be back to square one.

It is more usual at Tribunals for taxpayers to complain that their property wasn't visited.

dfarry

Thanks for the advice, they want to come around Thursday but that's inconvenient so they will have to come another time... I think the band will go from a D to an F.

I've never seen how you can draw a link between house size (big or small) and the extent to which local services are used... personally I think the old community charge/Poll tax was fairer.

lincroft1710

Property based local taxation has been in existence since at least 19th cent. Community Charge only had a lifespan of 3 yrs.

Unless your house has had a really large extension (enough to increase its value by a minimum of about 35%) I would doubt it would increase by 2 bands.

dfarry

My house was originally built in 1969 a 3 bed school caretakers house... the school sold the house and some extra land. The previous owners extended the house with a large double extension and had a double wooden garage built.. The extra land was redeveloped and three new detached houses were built. These houses were in band F on the VOA website although now the entries state that they are deleted... not sure what that means.

lincroft1710

Deleted usually indicates that the house has either been demolished, or is uninhabitable, or has ceased being a dwelling and is now non domestic. It can also happen if there is a change in the property's address.

No offence and I may be wrong in your case, but my experience of school caretakers' houses is that they are rather basic and not very attractive and often built very close to actual school building or in an equally undesirable position. All of which could mean a lower band than the new houses.

muskoka

Good luck. I';d be reducing the house by one bedroom if possible. i.e. put office stuff in there or something that takes away from it being a bedroom May do no good, but who knows. Certainly won't do any harm......

dfarry

Haha... no offence taken...

The new houses are about 50 metres or so away and are very typical red bricked rectangular modern houses. The new houses are closer to the schools but admittedly it gets quite noisy for 45 minutes in the morning and afternoon.... On the plus side it's just a short walk to take the kids to school and put us in a better position for secondary/grammar school places.

Our house when it was first built would have been a small detached house but the extension has increased to a size comparable with the new houses, hence why I think the band might increase up to an F band.

Thinking about it I bet the address has been changed.... on the VOA site they are referred to as Plot 1, 2, 3, rear of..... not really a very specific or useful address to have.

McKneff

Quote//... personally I think the old community charge/Poll tax was fairer.[/QUOTE]

I think you were in the minority with that opinion, did you not see the riots that were taking place at the time. It was one of the biggest climbdowns by the government I've ever seen

lincroft1710

muskoka - CT bands are based on what a house is worth on open market, it therefore doesn't matter whether you use a bedroom as a bedroom, home gym, study, dining room etc. Putting office furniture into it and using it as a dedicated business office could lead to having to pay business rates on it.

dfarry

McKneff wrote: »

Quote//... personally I think the old community charge/Poll tax was fairer.

I think you were in the minority with that opinion, did you not see the riots that were taking place at the time. It was one of the biggest climbdowns by the government I've ever seen[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah I remember them well.... I also remember the fuel protests of the early 2000's.... basically people were protesting (in my opinion) because they saw taxes about to go through the roof.... and on that basis believed the plans to be unjust...

In the case of Community Charge if you had 5 adults living at the home then they would all pay.... I can see how many people would see that as unfair.... But surely the Council Tax system also has it's winners and losers.... for example your average family with two adults and two children, the CC might have seemed fairer to them (based on headcount alone) rather than the value of their home in 18 years ago or something. Also I don't know if there is any truth in it but also bumping up the annual charge due to patio's, sea views and the like..... madness.

(unfortunately I don't have a sea view although I do have a nice patio) :rotfl: