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

devils_advocate_5

Hi....Sorry if this has been asked before but I didn't find it....I am band D and my neighbour is band C. The houses are basicaly the same but I have an extra room on the ground floor and slightly more land. I bought my house in 1993 for £44,500. However when I check the value via the link to nationwide and work back it shows the value as £73,153. The house was in poor condition and had been reposessed, but I find it hard to believe that is was worth £73k in 1991 when next door sold in 2001 for £77k. Going by what I paid in 93 it should be band B (£40k to £52k) and not band D (£68K to £88K).....So how do I work out what it was worth in 91? Thanks........

colcfc

For some time I had suspected that my house was in a higher council tax bracket than my neighbours. Thanks to the publicity given by Martin Lewis and the subsequent advice found on this website I found out that indeed, in a street with some 70 terrace houses, mine was the only one in Band C. All others are in Band B or A if converted into flats.

I wasn't completely surprised when the Valuation Office turned down my appeal stating that I was over the six months time limit for appeal. They did however state that they were obliged to investigate further to ensure that 'the band is fair and consistent with other similar properties in the area'.

I received a letter from the Valuation Officer this morning, some two months later, saying that the review was complete and that they did not agree that a different valuation band should be applied. They then went into great detail telling me why this was the case based on the price the property would have made in April 1991.

My problem is this. I can't actually disagree with their findings as I agree that the house would have fallen into Band C based on price alone. However, why should my house be singled out from a street with 69 similar properties to be charged a higher rate? I would defy anybody to walk along our street and pick out my house as being any different to the others.

Have I still got grounds to complain? The latest letter says that there is no right of appeal against this decision. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience.
Thanks.

Maisie

plodder73 wrote: »

Helo I am new to this board, could I ask a question tht will have been asked before but it is a long thread!! I have just had my house revalued from band c to band b with effect from 1993. I have only been in the house for 15months my two qusetions are. 1. I presume I only get a refund for the time I have been there? 2. What happens to the other amount can previous council tax payers claim it back. Apolgies one more for being lazy and not checking the whole thread,

Hi plodder. You're forgiven for not looking back at the thread! The answer to your question is there.

You're right in saying you'll only get the refund for the time you've been at the house.
The VOA/Council usually contact the previous occupants but if you know them why not share your good fortune in getting the band reduced and let them know? That's just in case the VOA/council slip up and don't contact them.
One lucky person on here got a case of wine from the previous occupants because he told them the house had been rebanded.

Hope this helps.

Wow and my 1000th post!!

Maisie

mcguire6078

colcfc wrote: »

For some time I had suspected that my house was in a higher council tax bracket than my neighbours. Thanks to the publicity given by Martin Lewis and the subsequent advice found on this website I found out that indeed, in a street with some 70 terrace houses, mine was the only one in Band C. All others are in Band B or A if converted into flats.

I wasn't completely surprised when the Valuation Office turned down my appeal stating that I was over the six months time limit for appeal. They did however state that they were obliged to investigate further to ensure that 'the band is fair and consistent with other similar properties in the area'.

I received a letter from the Valuation Officer this morning, some two months later, saying that the review was complete and that they did not agree that a different valuation band should be applied. They then went into great detail telling me why this was the case based on the price the property would have made in April 1991.

My problem is this. I can't actually disagree with their findings as I agree that the house would have fallen into Band C based on price alone. However, why should my house be singled out from a street with 69 similar properties to be charged a higher rate? I would defy anybody to walk along our street and pick out my house as being any different to the others.

Have I still got grounds to complain? The latest letter says that there is no right of appeal against this decision. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience.
Thanks.

I am in a similar situation. I live in a row of terraced houses 70 are in band C and 6 of us (mid terrace) are in band D. If you have received a similar letter to mine, it may have a paragrapgh about similar style properties with different banding. The reason stated was the total area of living accomodation was greater than other properties in the street....what nonsense,

I phoned them back today and they are sending someone to inspect my property.

I have also requested that they supply information about the size of all other properties in my street, given that this is the reason stated for the difference in banding/valuation.

Maisie

mcguire6078 wrote: »

I am in a similar situation. I live in a row of terraced houses 70 are in band C and 6 of us (mid terrace) are in band D. If you have received a similar letter to mine, it may have a paragrapgh about similar style properties with different banding. The reason stated was the total area of living accomodation was greater than other properties in the street....what nonsense,

I phoned them back today and they are sending someone to inspect my property.

I have also requested that they supply information about the size of all other properties in my street, given that this is the reason stated for the difference in banding/valuation.

Don't be fobbed off by their replies. Do your homework and keep on at them.

Maisie

Lengy

My wife and I have applied for a council tax reduction from band B to band A, but have had our appeal turned down. When we applied for ths reduction, we did not send off the purchase price, which was £31000 when we bought it in 2000.
Can we re-submit and include the purchase price for proof that the house should fall into band A?

tarinilie

If you think the house was worth less than 40 000 at April 1991 there's no harm in giving it a go. The 2000 price does have some bearing on prices in 1991 - but you really need evidence of what the dwelling was worth then.


I assume the 2000 sale was an open market, arms length transaction etc? -

T

chicka

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

has anybody got in touch with the land registry for details of all the times that your house has been bought and sold? I did this and it cost me £1.94, I got all the times the house was bought and sold back to 1935 and the prices it went for. This info was a great help to me being rebanded from F to E.

Hi
I saw the above post the other day and am currently trying to get sold prices in 1991. I rang our local Land Reg Office (based in Preston) and the lady said she couldnt help and, when I asked if she could suggest someone else who could, she said no.
Maybe I just got someone who'd had a bad day-I assume this is where I'd get the info-I tried at the Library and managed to get a few selling prices but the microfiche wasnt that clear and I couldnt read most of them.
This is quite urgent now-I spoke to Listing Officer last week and said i'd get everything in writing to him. Any help will be most appreciated. :j
Many thanks

Zebedeee

chicka wrote: »

Hi
I saw the above post the other day and am currently trying to get sold prices in 1991. I rang our local Land Reg Office (based in Preston) and the lady said she couldnt help and, when I asked if she could suggest someone else who could, she said no.
Maybe I just got someone who'd had a bad day-I assume this is where I'd get the info-I tried at the Library and managed to get a few selling prices but the microfiche wasnt that clear and I couldnt read most of them.
This is quite urgent now-I spoke to Listing Officer last week and said i'd get everything in writing to him. Any help will be most appreciated. :j
Many thanks

Hi chicka

As you say, it doesn't seem possible to get pre-2000 prices out of the Land Registry. I've tried too, and they either don't have the info or aren't at liberty to disclose it. However, I do believe that the VOA themselves have this information, but they won't disclose it to anyone who isn't the current occupier of the house, which usually isn't much help. I think they have to disclose it tho if it comes to tribunal.

Like you I went to the library and pored over the fiches until my eyes crossed! I'm not sure that there are any other avenues available, unless anyone else on here has any ideas?!

Lengy

Thanks for that, I'll work out the price from the calculator and reapply.

L