Great Council Tax Saving - £300!

Mim_2

In one of the recent newsletters Martin showed how to check your Council Tax band against those of your neighbours. I did so and found that my house was banded E, while the other two identical houses were banded D. As explained in the newsletter I queried this with the valuation officer who today informed me that my banding was incorrectly established when the houses were built 11 years ago.

The banding has been reduced to a D saving me £300 per year. They've also advised me to contact my local council to request backdated overpayments, although they say I'll be lucky to get back more than 5 years worth - if that. Getting some kind of refund would be great, but if not I'm just glad to save a minimum of £300 every year!

Smiley_Mum

Good to hear that, hope you get your backdated overpayments back promptly.

Poppycat

I wouldnt hold your breathe for claiming back payment a couple of years ago I was told that they wouldnt pay me overpayments, so appealed and lost.

There so easy to jump on you when you owe them money but its unfortunately its one sided. Of course I hope am wrong but be prepared for a battle if you want it all backdated.

Maisie

Mim wrote:

In one of the recent newsletters Martin showed how to check your Council Tax band against those of your neighbours. I did so and found that my house was banded E, while the other two identical houses were banded D. As explained in the newsletter I queried this with the valuation officer who today informed me that my banding was incorrectly established when the houses were built 11 years ago.

The banding has been reduced to a D saving me £300 per year. They've also advised me to contact my local council to request backdated overpayments, although they say I'll be lucky to get back more than 5 years worth - if that. Getting some kind of refund would be great, but if not I'm just glad to save a minimum of £300 every year!

That's great news Mim. I was the original poster and a lot of people have had refunds. Article is on Cutting Tax. Titled 'Council Tax are you paying more than your neighbours. Check it out' (I don't know how to do the link.)

One poster on there is the toast of the street as he informed his neighbours and they all got refunds. He got/she got flowers and champagne from them.

Hope you get the other refund too.

Maisie

Max_Fischer

I spent ten minutes finding that article and it's only for properties in England and Wales!

Oh well, here's the link anyway for anyone else trying to find it:'Council Tax are you paying more than your neighbours. Check it out'

rls1973

what happens if you check it and discover you should be paying more? are you able to just quietly back down and disappear?!

hazzie123

I have just saved myself £120 with the council tax.I applied for the single person 25% discount. I work part time and get some council tax benefit but they kept on adding my husbands name onto my bill which I told them he had his own flat for 2 years!

I just always left it every year until a friend told me about the 25% off I could get.So I applied and got it and are now £10 a month better off! That £10 a month will be added onto what I pay off to my Credit card each month,plus saving on the interest added.

CIS

what happens if you check it and discover you should be paying more? are you able to just quietly back down and disappear?!

you can ask for it to be voluntaily upgraded, Ive never seen it whilst Iam processing, but others have - usually seen when posh neighbours want to keep up with each other.

On the other hand, the VOA can decide that ypur property has been msitakenly banded and increase your band.