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

Maisie

Marzeater wrote: »

Hi I got my house rebanded from a D to a C, backdated to 1994. I've not had a figure from them yet.
Can I claim accrued interest from them?
Also how long should I give the council before sending in the bailiffs, Knowsley Council are very quick off the mark to do it.

Marzeater. have you looked on the https://www.voa.gov.uk site to see if they have actually changed your banding?

If they haven't changed it contact the voa and ask when. The council won't pay the rebate until the voa have changed banding and authorised them.

As for interest. You'll be lucky !! Although apparently it is possible to get interest on the refund it is not likely.
If you read back on this thread you will find posts where people have had interest.

Why not be happy to get a rebate and change in banding so easily?

Maisie

Marzeater

Maisie wrote: »

Marzeater. have you looked on the https://www.voa.gov.uk site to see if they have actually changed your banding?

If they haven't changed it contact the voa and ask when. The council won't pay the rebate until the voa have changed banding and authorised them.

As for interest. You'll be lucky !! Although apparently it is possible to get interest on the refund it is not likely.
If you read back on this thread you will find posts where people have had interest.

Why not be happy to get a rebate and change in banding so easily?

Maisie

The banding has changed on the VOA site. I am very pleased with the way the VOA handle it.
But!
It was my money, and they (the council)have had the benefit of it.
Secondly, over the years the council have refered my account to bailiffs more times than I can remember and I look forward to returning the favour, complete with press photographers.

Knowsley have one of the highest collection rates of all local authorities, mainly because you get one reminder, and then it's court for the full balance.

omg_3

I wonder if you could help please?

We bought our house in September 1988 for £64,000. We are in band E (£88,000 to £120,000). The only house like mine is next door and they are also band E. I phoned VOA for a review. The basis for my review was that following the closure of MIRAS in 1998, house prices fell and that the VOA is implying that my house increased by 36% during this period.
I was refused with "NO RIGHT OF APPEAL"
They went on to say

1) "You reffered to house price indicies...." (I did not)

2)"You indicated that there are properties that are larger....." (I did not)

3) "You refered to similar properties that are lower.... (I did not)

4) " Yuo refered to the banding of a similar property that appears low" (I did not)

Can you offer advice please?

Thanks, Robert

Maisie

omg wrote: »

I wonder if you could help please?

We bought our house in September 1988 for £64,000. We are in band E (£88,000 to £120,000). The only house like mine is next door and they are also band E. I phoned VOA for a review. The basis for my review was that following the closure of MIRAS in 1998, house prices fell and that the VOA is implying that my house increased by 36% during this period.
I was refused with "NO RIGHT OF APPEAL"
They went on to say

1) "You reffered to house price indicies...." (I did not)

2)"You indicated that there are properties that are larger....." (I did not)

3) "You refered to similar properties that are lower.... (I did not)

4) " Yuo refered to the banding of a similar property that appears low" (I did not)

Can you offer advice please?

Thanks, Robert

Robert Have you found any evidence of house sale prices for 1991?
Either same houses as yours or very similar.

You have to have plenty of evidence as posts on this thread suggest and if you read through there's plenty of information.

Has anything happened in the area that might have put values up? ie regeneration of the district or some special amenities that might have made the area a desirable place to live? Therefore increasing house values..

Get as much backing evidence you can as the house calculator alone or just comparing with neighbour's banding is not sufficient.

It's not always easy to get the voa to take notice and you really have to keep at them as many of us are finding out. Ask them if they're mixing your case up with another if they're giving those negative answers.

Good luck and post again if you're still needing help.

Maisie

omg_3

hi Maisie, thank's for the promt reply. What about the statement "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT OF APPEAL"

tA rOBERT

Zebedeee

omg wrote: »

hi Maisie, thank's for the promt reply. What about the statement "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT OF APPEAL"

tA rOBERT

omg, technically, that is correct. There is no 'Right of Appeal' in the sense that someone who is new in the property has an automatic 'Right of Appeal'. However, that doesn't mean that you can't ask for a review of the banding. They have a duty to keep their lists correct and if you present all the evidence, as Maisie and many others on this thread suggest, you may be able to get them to look at your situation again.

Do not be fooled by those postings on the SUCCESS thread who made one small phone call to the VOA and before they knew it had a cheque for £2000 landing on their doormat! Many of us are finding it to be a great deal of hard work.

HTH,

Zebedee

guppy

maz525 wrote: »

Hi i'm new, so much info, i'm c but i think i should be a b, but if they say no to you because they say your house would have been worth £54,000 in 1991, but i have the valuation report from when i bought the house in 1993 which reads £45,000 should i persue, house's on the street are b and c but there is same style house's as mine b, the street consists of semis, detacted, dorma style semis and bunglows, hope you can help.

Try the Nationwide and Halifax house price calculators to index the 1993 valuation back to 1991 for your area. They aren't perfect but they should give you a rough idea of how the VOA's 1991 figure stacks up.

guppy

omg wrote: »

I wonder if you could help please?

We bought our house in September 1988 for £64,000. We are in band E (£88,000 to £120,000). The only house like mine is next door and they are also band E. I phoned VOA for a review. The basis for my review was that following the closure of MIRAS in 1998, house prices fell and that the VOA is implying that my house increased by 36% during this period.
I was refused with "NO RIGHT OF APPEAL"
They went on to say

1) "You reffered to house price indicies...." (I did not)

2)"You indicated that there are properties that are larger....." (I did not)

3) "You refered to similar properties that are lower.... (I did not)

4) " Yuo refered to the banding of a similar property that appears low" (I did not)

Can you offer advice please?

Thanks, Robert

Sounds like a standard letter.

They are right in that you have no formal "right of appeal". You can't ask for an independent tribunal to consider the band. Even if you could, you'd need some evidence to show them anyway.

Basically, the person that dealt with your case at the VOA is of the opinion the band is right. Personally I would recommend phoning that person and asking how they came to that view.

If you still disagree, then as others have said, you'll need to get to work trying to make a case for it being worth less than £88k at 1991. There is loads of info about that if you read back on this thread.

As Maisie and others have discovered, this is not easy. You have to convince the VOA that they've valued it wrong not just once, but a second time when they reviewed it.

Not an easy task! But, if you provide relevant evidence they are obliged to consider it.

Good luck!

yorkshirerose

Hi,

I was hoping to get rebanded from B to A as 15 houses identical to mine are band A.

I have received a letter from the VOA saying they do not agree that i should be in a lower band. The reasons given :


Date of Valuation - satisfied property reflecting April 1991 value lies wthiin range for that banding.

Assumptions about the property and its locality -blah blah blah.

Assumptions about repair - blah blah blah.

Basis of value - my banding is based on evidence of actual sales of similar properties at or around 1 April 1991.

Lower bandings on similar properties in the area

They are saying they may have been extended to a similar size to mine - funny that, as they always have been 3 bedroom semi's like mine.

Another reason that a banding may be lower is a result of an appeal

There are occasions where other properties are in a lower band as a result of an error and will consider whether other properties need to be increased.


It also says there is no right of appeal against the decision.

Is there anything i can do as their decision is clearly wrong.
Any help appreciated.

frugalpam

Zebedeee wrote: »

Do not be fooled by those postings on the SUCCESS thread who made one small phone call to the VOA and before they knew it had a cheque for £2000 landing on their doormat! Many of us are finding it to be a great deal of hard work.

HTH,

Zebedee

Having read the 'success' thread, I'd thought it was going to be easier than it's proving to be! It's hard work researching info on 1991 house sale prices, pulling together evidence to support my request for a re-assessment.
On my trawlings online and in the local area, I met an amazing man in his 70's or maybe 80's who'd taken on the VOA. He lives in a bungalow almost identical to mine in the same area (half a mile away), and I discovered he was on a lower band (B) than myself (C). I called round to explain I was challenging my banding, and to ask him permission to take a photo of his bungalow from the road, to add to my evidence. He took great glee in telling me how he'd taken on the VOA and 'wouldn't be fobbed off' by them. He succeeded in arguing his case for Band B. I'm almost tempted to hire him to take on my case !!

Pam