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

jamesiebabie

Django wrote: »

I recently received over £500 interest from my local Valuation Office Agency to add to the £2,500 rebate covering the years since 1993 when we were mis-banded.
I was told that interest was not normally paid but that there had been a local successful appeal by another householder 10 years ago in the same Close and we should have been informed and re-banded then. As a result we got 10 years interest. Worth a try.

Django,

:T :T :T Fantastic news, well done and enjoy.:T :T :T

:beer: It proves once again it can be done.:beer:

Is there any way you can tell everyone how easy/difficult it was and how you went about? I would be interested in learning how you went about it.

J

PharmaAl

Hi I am having a sort out day and have decided to tackle my Council Tax! Have been meaning to do it for ages but it's complicated......

We have been re-banded to G from F in the 2005 re-evaluation in Wales, not too bad as most people went up a band. Our neighbour remained at an E and similar properties in the area are also E and F.

Looking at the house price we paid then projecting to April 2003 we should be in band F, in fact we are towards the start of that band.

However we had an extension in 2005 which I think puts us into that G banding, again around the start.

Can we appeal as our house was over rated in 2003?

I have read lots of this thread and I think I can, but would just like to be sure.

jamesiebabie

PharmaAl wrote: »

Hi I am having a sort out day and have decided to tackle my Council Tax! Have been meaning to do it for ages but it's complicated......

We have been re-banded to G from F in the 2005 re-evaluation in Wales, not too bad as most people went up a band. Our neighbour remained at an E and similar properties in the area are also E and F.

Looking at the house price we paid then projecting to April 2003 we should be in band F, in fact we are towards the start of that band.

However we had an extension in 2005 which I think puts us into that G banding, again around the start.

Can we appeal as our house was over rated in 2003?

I have read lots of this thread and I think I can, but would just like to be sure.

If your completion notice was after 1st April 2005, then you can appeal. The 1993 date is only using the valuation figures and the 2005 date relates to the physical matters.

~You also have to consider the size of your extension, sorry for it sounds as though I'm teaching you to suck eggs, but the larger the extension then the more the house is worth. So if you think that your house has been extended by 10% then you could generally expect the house price to increase by 10%.

I think you have a good chance, so long as your extension was completed after 1/4/05.

I hope this helps.

J

mariecc_2

Originally Posted by mariecc
as I say well done all you have succeded. Today I have recieved a letter from the voa rejecting my application, I was told the valuation was done by square footage, I don't know where to turn, I'm trying to see if can paste my letter on here as the VOA have said I cannot appeal.

After listening to some of you who didn't give up, please help me, ideas on the letters or direction I should take would be fantasic, I am now so depressed and miserable.

Please help...

I just done more homework and found out that new houses built around the corner from us have been banded E. and they are the same value, in fact they have double glazing.

Can I use this this to contact them and try again, could I use the online claim form???

pingua

Gosh it has taken ages for our 'your council tax band is going up' letter to arrive. I really had thought they had forgotten !!(o.k maybe not)

So we are going from c to d.

Bought the house 2 months ago. Estate of 40 and we are now the only d.

There has been a huge extension but we are not the only house with an extension.We would not be the most expensive house on the estate either.
Yes we have an extension but we now have a postage stamp garden.

When we were house hunting we looked at a few other properties same price all a c(still on market though) O.k they were not as big but the value was the same - had other things going for them other than floor space.


I believe we are really boarder line in terms of the figures but I also believe if these other prices in area are in a c so should we.

The houses round here that are in a d appear to be upwards of 25000 more than this one.

What do you think???

I am confused (even after reading pages and pages as it seems so inconsistent and there is no clear way of determining before hand the outcome) But well done to those who have won their case.

Oh and to top it all our lovely friendly neighbours want to build an extension which will be the view from our back garden - all we will see is their wall and believe me this will devalue our house!! (we have along with another neighbour objected so waiting to see what they get away with building )

mariecc_2

pingua wrote: »

Gosh it has taken ages for our 'your council tax band is going up' letter to arrive. I really had thought they had forgotten !!(o.k maybe not)

So we are going from c to d.

Bought the house 2 months ago. Estate of 40 and we are now the only d.

There has been a huge extension but we are not the only house with an extension.We would not be the most expensive house on the estate either.
Yes we have an extension but we now have a postage stamp garden.

When we were house hunting we looked at a few other properties same price all a c(still on market though) O.k they were not as big but the value was the same - had other things going for them other than floor space.


I believe we are really boarder line in terms of the figures but I also believe if these other prices in area are in a c so should we.

The houses round here that are in a d appear to be upwards of 25000 more than this one.

What do you think???

I am confused (even after reading pages and pages as it seems so inconsistent and there is no clear way of determining before hand the outcome) But well done to those who have won their case.

Oh and to top it all our lovely friendly neighbours want to build an extension which will be the view from our back garden - all we will see is their wall and believe me this will devalue our house!! (we have along with another neighbour objected so waiting to see what they get away with building )

This is was the VOA told me. quote" they only use the living space/ square footage for the Valuation" " This excludes garages and gardens"

How can they say the valuations are base on what properties were sold for whatever the year. When those sale valuations include the garages and gardens????


I would love for someone to explain that to me.

pingua

So you could live in a nice small house by a nice flowing stream looking out onto nice open fields in a nice upmarket area surrounded by a nice 5 acres of gardens that you own and have a nice small council tax banding ???

Even though the value of the place would be loads???????

Fungas

Hi all,

Just had a cheque through the post from my council. They admitted that my house had been wrongly valued band C, when it should have been B. I've been paying the difference between the two bandings for the past 5 years, amounting to a rebate of over £650.

However, (whilst not wanting to sound ungrateful) it struck me that there was no offer of interest, despite their admission that the banding was erronious. How do I:

1) calculate the interest on the difference between monthly payments made? Is there an easy formula to use?
2) Go about claiming that interest?
3) Progress if they refuse to pay? would this be a case via small claims court, and what sort of success rate are people reporting?

Thanks in anticipation.

Fungas

jamesiebabie

mariecc wrote: »

This is was the VOA told me. quote" they only use the living space/ square footage for the Valuation" " This excludes garages and gardens"

How can they say the valuations are base on what properties were sold for whatever the year. When those sale valuations include the garages and gardens????


I would love for someone to explain that to me.

Mariecc,

The VOA do primarily use floor space. The only time that the VOA would take into account the garden is if it was 'larger than the norm'. When the VOA look at the norm, they would probably not do anything unless it is double the 'norm', it would at this point that it would probably be deemed as 'value significant'. The garage is not counted either as in most cases where the housing stock is usually quite homogenous, they would all have garages are they all don't unless you live in London. The VOA compare 'like with like' where possible excluding those two factors.

I hope this clears up some concerns.

jamesiebabie

pingua wrote: »

Gosh it has taken ages for our 'your council tax band is going up' letter to arrive. I really had thought they had forgotten !!(o.k maybe not)

So we are going from c to d.

Bought the house 2 months ago. Estate of 40 and we are now the only d.

There has been a huge extension but we are not the only house with an extension.We would not be the most expensive house on the estate either.
Yes we have an extension but we now have a postage stamp garden.

When we were house hunting we looked at a few other properties same price all a c(still on market though) O.k they were not as big but the value was the same - had other things going for them other than floor space.


I believe we are really boarder line in terms of the figures but I also believe if these other prices in area are in a c so should we.

The houses round here that are in a d appear to be upwards of 25000 more than this one.

What do you think???

I am confused (even after reading pages and pages as it seems so inconsistent and there is no clear way of determining before hand the outcome) But well done to those who have won their case.

Oh and to top it all our lovely friendly neighbours want to build an extension which will be the view from our back garden - all we will see is their wall and believe me this will devalue our house!! (we have along with another neighbour objected so waiting to see what they get away with building )

Pingua,

Sorry to hear about the increase. I know it seems unfair, but it is probably time to 'dob' the neighbors in.
The VOA have got a real legacy issue on their hands in terms of 'historic data', some of the info on their computers are over 50 years old!!!! - well and truly out of date and not fully complete, far from it. If you asked the question as to how what percentage of properties have got all the data fields input [presumably correctly], then I would think it would be no more than 50%, that is why they send out questionnaires and/or send out their staff. Also, the unfairness in your case is that the other properties should have also been increased [probably], but the VOA were not aware of any chages to any of the other prroperties, this is partly down due to the lack of 'joined up goverment' historically. I belkeive the VOA are getting better and are now getting more infofrom the billing authorities and subsequently some peoples bands are now going up.

If you want to see the other properties in your street go up, then you need to inform the vOA, tell them what properties have had extensions and they may decide to raise what they call a 'CR10', a possible increase when it coems to the next sale, but don't expect any miracles and they may decide to ignore the letter.

Everyone, just make sure that if you appeal that it can no way go up, otherwise good luck to you all.