Council Tax Cost Cutting: reduce your band and grab any discounts Discussion Area

gawk

Hi there, new her today...i have found out that my neighbour is a band higher than me. identical house ! i'd love to tell them so they could get a rebanding and rebate, but could my band go up instead of theirs coming down? i purchased my house for 45 grand when this banding came into play, and got my band reduced from C to B right at the start
thanks

melvin_2

guppy wrote: »

Put in the price you paid in 1995 and use the calculator to take it back to 1991. It may well have been worth more then due to the recession though.

The closer to 1991 the sale is, the more useful.

Thanks guppy but we did'nt buy it in 1995 we brought it in 2001. Have i got to find out what it was sold for in 1995 then.? Sorry to be a pain. Also when looking at similar houses there are houses the same but they are semi-detached and we are classed as a terraced. Would this make a difference in the banding? thanks.

Maisie

melvin wrote: »

Thanks guppy but we did'nt buy it in 1995 we brought it in 2001. Have i got to find out what it was sold for in 1995 then.? Sorry to be a pain. Also when looking at similar houses there are houses the same but they are semi-detached and we are classed as a terraced. Would this make a difference in the banding? thanks.

Melvin
Put in 2001 and then try the calculator. Don't rely on the calculator alone as VOA are not accepting that. If there's a big difference in your band you will have to find some more evidence of similar house prices as near to 1991 as you can.

Were any of the other houses bought/sold around 1991? Look at those prices in the calculator. Or find out what your house was worth in 1995 (when it was built) then put that in the calculator too as Guppy says. That will give you another idea as to it's worth in 1991. A bit nearer to 1991 than your 2001 price.

You might find 1991 prices of similar houses in the archived newspapers at your local library or some people are now going to the Land Registry for prices back to 1991. Look at the excellent post #1008 above about Land registry.

I know yours wasn't built then but you will have to compare yours to similar houses and their value at 1991 as the voa based their banding on 1991 house prices.

If you look back at some of the pages of this thread there are many cases like yours and the expert advice from jamesiebabie and others will help you through your problems.

Don't go to the voa without plenty of supporting evidence as they will just reject your case if you are basing it on the Nationwide calculator alone.

Afraid it's not always easy to get your band changed. You will have to do your homework and be prepared for any setbacks.

HTH . Good luck.

Maisie

melvin_2

Maisie wrote: »

Melvin
Put in 2001 and then try the calculator. Don't rely on the calculator alone as VOA are not accepting that. If there's a big difference in banding prices you will have to find some more evidence of similar house prices as near to 1991 as you can.

Were any of the other houses bought/sold around 1991? Look at those prices in the calculator. Or find out what your house was worth in 1995 (when it was built) then put that in the calculator too. That will give you another idea as to it's worth in 1991. (A bit nearer to 1991 than your 2001 price)

You might find prices of similar houses in the archived newspapers at your local library or some people are now going to the Land Registry for prices back to 1991.

I know yours wasn't built then but you will have to compare yours to similar houses and their value at 1991 as the voa based their banding on 1991 house prices.

If you look back at some of the pages of this thread there are many cases like yours and the expert advice from jamesiebabie and others will help you through your problems.

Don't go to the voa without plenty of supporting evidence as they will just reject your case if you are basing it on the Nationwide calculator alone.
Afraid it's not always easy to get your band changed. You will have to do your homework and be prepared for any setbacks.

HTH . Good luck.

Maisie



HTH

Thank you so much maisie i will get to work on it. will keep you informed as to how i get on. once again thank you.:T

Maisie

gawk wrote: »

Hi there, new her today...i have found out that my neighbour is a band higher than me. identical house ! i'd love to tell them so they could get a rebanding and rebate, but could my band go up instead of theirs coming down? i purchased my house for 45 grand when this banding came into play, and got my band reduced from C to B right at the start
thanks

Gawk
Shame your neighbour didn't apply for band change when you did.

Is yours the only house in street at B band? If there are others your neighbour might have a chance to get rebanded.

Be wary though as bandings can go up as well as down as some of the previous posts on this thread have verified.


HTH

maisie

Maisie

melvin wrote: »

Thank you so much maisie i will get to work on it. will keep you informed as to how i get on. once again thank you.:T

Melvin. You're very welcome. Hope you're successful in your rebanding. Some people have it very easy to get a rebanding others (me included) are having a long hard slog.

There is so much expert advice on this thread from jamesiebabie and others
that it's worth looking back and reading the very informative posts before you contact the voa.

Post again if you have any more questions. Someone will help you.

maisie

Maisie

grace21 wrote: »

This is my first attempt to get some help, can anyone advise me I have followed the steps to reduce the banding as suggested in Martin's money saving tips and have been successful in reducing the banding from F to E but although the alteration notice was back dated to 1993 my council will only back date it for 5 years.Could I pursue the rest of the money!!!

Grace. Have you lived in the house since 1993? If not the council will only pay back for the time you have lived there. The previous occupiers (if any) are entitled to any refund while they lived there. If you inform the previous occupants that you have been successful they can claim for a refund too.

If you have lived there since 1993 you should contact the council and voa and ask why the refund only goes back 5 years.

Most people do get refunds from 1993 if they've been in the house since then.

HTH


maisie

grace21

Many thanks for your replies.I have lived in my house since 1982.When I asked my council the reason why they would only refund 5 years,they said that if they refunded all the money to all the people that had been misbanded they would be paying out thousands of pounds which would mean high council tax for everyone next year!!!
I will pursue it and will keep you informed...:(

tarinilie

if someone wrote off you car an insurance company couldn't say we're only going to give you half the value because otherwise insurance premiums would rise for next year ??

Maisie

grace21 wrote: »

Many thanks for your replies.I have lived in my house since 1982.When I asked my council the reason why they would only refund 5 years,they said that if they refunded all the money to all the people that had been misbanded they would be paying out thousands of pounds which would mean high council tax for everyone next year!!!
I will pursue it and will keep you informed...:(

The VOA/Council made the error. It's not your fault you were incorrectly banded.

It's your own money they're holding.

Go for it !