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

pingua

Thanks for the reply. I don't want the neighbours c.t to go up I wish ours to go down !!!!

So have we not got a leg to stand on??

I don't want to 'rock the boat' and would rather - (although not happily ) leave it if it meant causing trouble for loads more people.

(It is annoying though when you see higher value properties in a band under)

guppy

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.

Garages, gardens, good/bad location, views and most other things that affect market value are included. Not development potential though.

As jamesiebabie said though, things like garages and gardens are unlikely to be hugely value significant unless they unusual for the type of house or location.

tarinilie

Fungas wrote: »

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

Hi Fungas,

It may be difficult to get interest unless the VOA have been negligent.

Say for example there was a row of identical houses all at band D.

If one person appealed 5 years ago and had their band reduced to band C the VOA should have done what is known as 'consequentials' and reduced all the identical houses.

If this wasn't carried out and 5 years later you appealed in one of the houses getting it reduced to a band C you could argue the VOA should have done the reduction along with all the identical houses years ago and I would advise you to ask the VOA for compound statutory interest of 8% for the period between the original house being rebanded and present.

They should pay up .

Don't bother hassling the council it's the VOA who might be at fault.

however if they have now just come to the opinion that your band is incorrect - it would be argued that they have not been negligent.
You perhaps should have appealed earlier etc. / they can't be expected to band 20 odd million dwellings accurately etc so in the latter case I think you would find it difficult to claim any compensation

tarin

poorperson

Some of us are still struggling like hell to get the VOA to see sense; I can see where you are coming from but if it hadn't been for this site you wouldn't have known any better. Yes, some have had interest but be thankful what you've got. Take the money and run.

Fungas

poorperson wrote: »

Some of us are still struggling like hell to get the VOA to see sense; I can see where you are coming from but if it hadn't been for this site you wouldn't have known any better. Yes, some have had interest but be thankful what you've got. Take the money and run.

Actually, it wasn't the site that drew my attention to the issue: it was Martin's piece for "Tonight" recently, during which, one of the estate agents contracted to carry out housing evaluations in 1991 described the shambolic way in which they were carried out (hey; what's new ). I get your point about the knowledge about the issue, and I did state in my original post that I was not ungrateful for the rebate (even though the money should not have been taken from me in the first place); I just feel that if it were the other way round, and I had been "negligent" or failing to make full payments to a local authpority, the situation would have been far more severe for me. Look at the people who can barely afford their council tax, fail to pay, and are then prosecuted and sent to jail? Proportionatly to what action councils carry out on defaulting indivviduals, I feel that interest should be offered as a matter of course, negligent or not.

The situation is that I live on an end terrace block of 5 units, opposite another block of 5 units. 8 of the units are band B; my unit and the one opposite were both C despite identical layouts, bedroom numbers etc. My banding was increased prior to my purchasing the house due to a lower-level extension; however, the extension did not increase the numbers of reception rooms or bedrooms, merely give a larger kitchen, bog and utility room. Despite this fact, the council slapped a banding increase which is now, in their words, recognised as a mistake.

I will probably take the money and not take this any further; however, if it were the other way round, would I get away with not paying any interest on a debt?

tarinilie

What I find is odd, which the local govt people might be able to clarify, is why when a business rates 'ratable value' is reduced, the local authority pay interest back automatically . However this does not occur for domestic dwellings i.e when a band is reduced ??

surrey_alan

After watching Martin's TV prog in Feb 2007, I decided to check my own Banding. I was surprised to see that similar houses to mine, in the same road, were in Band E and I was in F. What was even more gaulling, was that a house six away from mine, was in Band E and since 1993, has had an enormous double height extension added to the original house! On checking the listing, I noticed that a house in my road had received a Band review back dating it to 1993. I am in a 3 bed semi, but attached to a 4 bed semi, and the property that was re-banded is in exactly the same situation. There are, I believe no other houses in this exact position. Other houses, exactly like mine, are in band E. In total I believe I have identified at least another 9 houses that are incorrectly banded, some in a band that is too low! I sent an email to my Local Ratings Office in February 2007, explaining my position. I received an immediate response, indicating that I would receive a reply within 2 months. I did not. After 2 months I contacted the VOA and was informed that due to the number of re-banding claims this particular office received, they could not meet their own deadline, and would I be patient with them. I have explained that surely the house that was re-banded, that is exactly the same as mine, had set a precident. I am still waiting for a response, now 3 months after my first email. What can I do to hurry things along? Surely, to clear the significant number of queries, they should look at the straight forward ones first? I have started to pay the 2007/08 Council Tax in April 07, some £350 a year more than that of the band I should be in.

poorperson

This site/Martin Lewis; same thing. Yes, the VOA should pay interest but it should be automatic.

PharmaAl

jamesiebabie wrote: »

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

Thanks for the advice but I'm just wondering what a notice of completion is?

jamesiebabie

PharmaAl wrote: »

Thanks for the advice but I'm just wondering what a notice of completion is?

.

PharmAl,

A completion notice is what you should receive from the building control staff at the local council, so they can sign it off and say that it is all up the regulatory standards, i.e., electrics, load bearings, etc. They would only do this when the job is finished.

I hope that helps and I hope you received such a notice from building control, otherwise, it maybe difficult to sell your house.