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

SandiRaRa

I've only just submitted mine so fingers crossed, doubt i'll get anything back in time to be anyhelp. Ours is D whilst everyone else on the street is a C, it's detached and the rest are either (large) semis or bungalows but our house is smaller/less rooms so hopefully we can be made a C as well.

25.lindsay

We were successful too cutting ours from a C to a B. We live in North Devon District Council. This was a very easy and hassle free process, just completed the online form at vosa.com and approx 3 months later result.:j

Lionda

gb39 wrote:

The original article is wrong in saying that there is no legal basis for the "6 months rule". New occupiers can appeal against the banding only within 6 months of moving into occupation of a property. These appeals are to the VOA and a Valuation Tribunal, and the Council is not involved. The Council is involved in discounts/voids/renovations etc.

However, the way round the 6 month rule is not to appeal - that would just be dismissed as invalid. The technique, if you think the banding is wrong, is to contact the Listing Officer (VOA) and explain why you think the list is wrong annd then remind him/her of their statutory duty to maintain the "quality of the list". If you can convince them it is wrong, then they have a statutory duty to put it right.

I applied for a reduction on-line, filled inthe form and pressed send. Got a reply saying I wasn't elligible as I have lived here for more than 6 months (almost 7 years actually). So I contacted the listing officer by phone, explained that I had found a similar house to mine in my street with a lower tax banding (I looked on-line and checked all the houses in my street). I was told they would look into it but I was probably not able to have my banding reduced due to the time lapse. Lo and behold!! A month later I got a letter saying my band is reduced from a D to a C. I took the letter to the local council tax office and they took a copy. A month after that (they don't rush these things!) I got a letter informing me that my tax banding was now a C, I didn't have to pay any more tax for the rest of the year and attached was a cheque for £483 :T What's more, the previous people who owned this house got a refund too for just over £400 :j

Thanks Martin :money: :beer:

sinking_fast_3

Hi Does anyone know where I stand on alterations? I have made my application and indicated that we have two bathrooms. However this was not the case in 1991. We moved into our property in 2002 and changed the pantry and OUTSIDE loo into a downstairs utility/wc. There was already a bathroom upstairs. I am wondering if I should have completed the form with details 1) as at 1991 - 1 bathroom + outside loo
2) when we moved in - 1 bathroom + outside loo
3) as it is now - 1 bathroom + downstairs utility/wc

Maisie

Any more success (or other) stories for Martin?

Email him.


Maisie

bnoc

sinking_fast wrote:

Hi Does anyone know where I stand on alterations?

My understanding is that if it was you that made these changes you should not have mentioned them as they do not fall to be considered by VOA until such a time as the property changes hands. I'm happy to be corrected in this matter as I am new to the whole area having only made my first call to the VOA yesterday :A

Stu666

I'm not really sure where I stand re property banding. I rent a funny little place that isn't quite a house nor a flat, it is like a bridge between two houses which cars can drive underneath to access the parking spaces. It was built in 1996 and is very small, with only one bedroom and no back garden. The houses either side of us are both two bedrooms with back gardens, but we are all band B. The properties at the ends of the terrace are larger and are band C. I would've thought my council tax should be cheaper? I did dispute the banding as described on this site, but the reply I received made it sound like I didn't have a leg to stand on. Also, with the property being rented, I'm unsure whether I'm even entitled to dispute the banding?

steview

Afternoon everyone.

I bought a new-build in June 2006 and received the council tax valuation in August to say I was in Band E. However, if I use the Nationwide House Price Index calculator Martin suggested in his article, my house would be fit nicely into the top half of Band D. However, using the Halifax for my region (Portishead, North Somerset) puts me literally in the first £1000 of the Band E bracket so my first question is :

Q1. Does anyone know what the best calculator to use is when attempting to adjust your value back to Q2 1991?

Also, our house is part of a vary large development which will include (amongst other housing) bars and restaurants, a park, a nursery and a wildlife reserve. Therefore the price I paid for my house is not just for the house but for the benefits of the area that is being built around it which currently doesn't exist. Therefore, my second question is...

Q2. Does the fact that none of the area around my house would have existed in 1991 (it was an electricity grid until a few years ago) mean that my house back then would have been less than the value the calculator came up with (on the grounds that it would have been a lone house without any bars etc.) or does the assumption include the development around it as though that would have been built then?

Lastly (and sorry for all the questions)...

Q3. Is the value of my house what I paid for it since it was brand new at the time or do they work out what they think it would be have been worth when I bought regardless of what I paid?

I apologise if someone has asked about a similar situation but I couldn't find anything similar in the thread and am quite confused about what to do regarding appealling.

p.s. I'm still within the 6 months since my paperwork didn't turn up until August.

ianM_3

I did a check and we are in the wrong band E instead of D compared to identical houses in our development. The house next door is also wrong F instead of E. I rang the valuation office and they were very helpful. Two properties had chalanged the banding back in the 90's and we should have had our banding adjusted but were missed out. The Valuation officer has raised two cases - dont know how long this will take to go through.
What about water/sewage rates these are based on banding - how do I get this adjusted?

bnoc

steview wrote:

Q1. Does anyone know what the best calculator to use is when attempting to adjust your value back to Q2 1991?

Its all about making a convincing a case a possible for lowering your banding, so I would use whichever calculator added to my case rather than one that detracted from it.

steview wrote:

Q2. Does the fact that none of the area around my house would have existed in 1991 (it was an electricity grid until a few years ago) mean that my house back then would have been less than the value the calculator came up with (on the grounds that it would have been a lone house without any bars etc.) or does the assumption include the development around it as though that would have been built then?

They consider your house as it stands at this moment, then decide what it would have been worth in that condition and in that location on 1st April 1991.

steview wrote:

Q3. Is the value of my house what I paid for it since it was brand new at the time or do they work out what they think it would be have been worth when I bought regardless of what I paid?

Its about the value of the property rather than the price paid, otherwise one could buy a property off friend/family for a pound and be in Band A regardless of the value.

steview wrote:

p.s. I'm still within the 6 months since my paperwork didn't turn up until August.

Don't panic when I say this because being outside the 6mths doesn't preclude your property being reconsidered by VOA but having looked at the guidance published it is six months from the date you move into the peoprty rather than from when the council get around to asking you to pay tax.