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

guppy

jj.johnson wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if it's ok to be told you have no right to appeal after an initial claim for re-banding has been rejected?
Another flat in my block was successfully down-graded last year, i'm trying to get the same...

Its ok...they just did it! Its probably a standard letter...

What they really mean is that there is no legal right of appeal - you can't have an independent tribunal look at your your case.

The issue is, have they valued your flat correctly, and if not, what are you going to do about it...

Is your flat worth the same or less than the one that got reduced? Is it the same size or smaller? This should probably be your starting point...if your flat is less valuable you might have a good case. If its bigger how much so?

You could ask the VOA to explain their decision in more detail (which may either put your mind at rest or put them on the back foot) or you can put together an argument that your flat is incorrectly valued, using the other flat as evidence.

Good luck.

Penguinloz

pingua wrote: »

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)

As your band has just been increased, if you feel it has been increased wrongly. you have a formal right to appeal as you have received a notice from the listing officer, phone your local VOA and ask for proposal forms. You will then have a right to take it to tribunal, for them to determine whether the increase was correct.

frugalpam

I wrote in the VOA a few weeks ago requesting a reassessment - I'm band C and feel I should def. be a band B. Did my homework and found a practically identical bungalow in Band B nearby. I also sent in evidence of selling prices which confirmed my case.

Still waiting, still hoping....

Pam

Maisie

Pam. I know voa sometimes take 4-6 weeks to reply but usually send an acknowledgement. Perhaps they haven't got your letter? Send a reminder.

Have you looked at the https://www.voa.gov.uk site? Maybe (if you're lucky!) they've changed your banding and it's going through the process.

Good luck.


Maisie

frugalpam

Maisie wrote: »

Pam. I know voa sometimes take 4-6 weeks to reply but usually send an acknowledgement. Perhaps they haven't got your letter? Send a reminder.

Have you looked at the www.voa.gov.uk site? Maybe (if you're lucky!) they've changed your banding and it's going through the process.

Good luck.


Maisie

Hi Maisie - I don't recall getting an acknowledgement, so I'll give them a ring tomorrow.
Hope the letter didn't go astray as I'd enclosed all sorts of supporting info from Land Registry etc - luckily photocopies though.

thanks again,
Pam

Zebedeee

guppy wrote: »

Well done!

Anyone in similar circumstances shouldn't give up. Even if your house is valued correctly, if the rest of the street is identical but in lower bands the VOA will (and do) give serious consideration to reducing any odd bands that aren't in sync. They are obliged to ensure that bandings are "fair and consistent" and it helps to remind them of this as frequently as possible.

The law does (exceptionally) allow for bands to be reduced despite them being valued correctly. If a large number of houses have been in the same band for a long time then a "tone of the list" (i.e. valuation list) can be argued to have become established, and all identical houses should be valued in line with it.

This is why the VOA often start obsessing about sqaure footage and the like, to try and say houses are not identical. However in my experience, they will not try and defend the indefensible if you keep the pressure on.

guppy, I am really interested in what you say here - it could be just what I need! All the houses the same as mine in my locality are in the band lower than mine. After much discussion the VOA are still sticking to their argument that my banding is correct and the others were 'just lucky'! I have just recieved my date for a tribunal and I'm thinking that what you say could help me here.

Is there anywhere I can find it written about the 'tone of the list' so that I could show it to the VTS to help my case? Is there a statute I can quote?

Thanks for your help and advice on this board.

aMeLia'S~MuMMY

Zebedeee wrote: »

Hi

Is your neighbour's house the same as yours and are there others in the street the same as yours but with a lower banding? Comparisons seem to be effective arguments for many on here.

HTH

Zebedee

yep, my next door neighbours is the same ( all 3 bed semis ) a majority in the street are the same band as me, just my next door neighbour and a few randomly dotted around in the lower banding in my road, but roads adjoining mine with the same houses are in the band lower, I advised them of my neighbours ( do feel guilty though in case they get an increase) when I asked them to look at it and their response was


"You referred to similar properties that are in lower bands. I have looked carefully at the pattern of bandings in the area and the evidence of sales that took place around April 1991, which is the date of the valuation for all council tax bandings. There are a number of reasons why apparently similar properties could have lower bandins. They may have been extended to a similar size to your own but not subsequently sold. In these circumstances a banding cannot be increased to reflect improvements before there has been a sale. Another reason that a banding may be lower as a result of an appeal. where I am satisfied that the outcome of that appeal should be applied to other properties in the area action will ahve been taken to amend those bandings. there are occasions where other properties are in a lower banding as a result of an error. to alter the bandings of similar properties to make them consistant would compound the error. having reviwed the bandings on your particular property I am satisfied that it is correct. i will consider whwther the bandings of any other properties in the area need to be increased.

I don't even undersatnd the first part of the VOA reply as neither mine or my neighbours properties have been extended.

Any help appreciated

:A

Graham.p_2

My neighbour applied to have his Council Tax banding lowered and was successful. The good news is that 13 other similar houses were also rebanded down at the same time. He's a hero!
The bad news is that our council has destroyed all records over 6 years so will only pay us the money due to us back to 1993 if we can prove that we have lived here since then and that we have paid all the yearly taxes and that we did not have any benefits to reduce the taxes. :mad:

Most of us do not have bank records or other evidence to substantiate our payments, apart from the actual Council bills, which prove nothing (according to the Council).

I also believe that during the first two years of the Council Tax (1993/4 & 1994/5) there was a discount deducted for everyone to help the transition from the Poll Tax. Does anyone have any link to, or records of that discount? Was it a percentage sum applied to each band. Any information would be so useful. Please Graham.P

guppy

Graham.p wrote: »

The bad news is that our council has destroyed all records over 6 years so will only pay us the money due to us back to 1993 if we can prove that we have lived here since then and that we have paid all the yearly taxes and that we did not have any benefits to reduce the taxes. :mad:

...

I also believe that during the first two years of the Council Tax (1993/4 & 1994/5) there was a discount deducted for everyone to help the transition from the Poll Tax. Does anyone have any link to, or records of that discount? Was it a percentage sum applied to each band. Any information would be so useful. Please Graham.P

Already ranted about this once :mad: Still fail to see how the Council destroyed live records when they knew full well that the VOA could still alter the Valuation List. You can be certain they still know whose name to put on the bill.

Personally I would complain, I think the council tax department is trying to fob you off. Can't help with the discount though. The council should at least have records of that.

stphnstevey

My case is going to a Tribunal and I have been invited to attend to present my case!!!!!!

What do I do?