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

beingjdc

vivatifosi wrote: »

hi beingjdc,

Sorry I didn't get to you sooner, I was offline much of yesterday.

Looks like you've built a good case. I wouldn't worry too much about whether the properties are ex-council right-to-buy. The price that the VOA should have assessed them on would be the open market price at which they would have been sold to a willing vendor, they shouldn't reflect discounts. Hopefully this will work in your favour.

Yeah - they'd still sell for a bit less though.

My friend bought one of the Band C ones in late 2003 for £180k, I'd say that at that time this flat would probably have gone for £210k. Her flat would now (or pre the recent turbulence) probably go on the market for £265-270k. A flat like this one in the Band D block I mentioned is currently on at an asking of £315k.

Like I said, I'll live with D, but F is an absurdity. E would be very disappointing too but potentially just about possible for them to claim it would have fetched £88,000.01 - whereas the cash difference between C and D is not huge.

vivatifosi

Hi beingjdc,

Well you've convinced me anyway. Given that the band D was £20k wide in 1991 and there has been a substantial increase since, I still can't for the life of me see how a flat worth £30k more than a band C in 2003 would be an F. Or that they have investigated and still think that's the case. Madness!!!!

Good luck, you've got to keep us informed as to how your case goes.

beingjdc

I think it's geography. If you look at where I live*

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GB|se163tp#t=l&map=51.49555,-0.06438|15|4&loc=GB:51.49555:-0.06438

We are the red circle. The B/C council flats are on the road between the railway line and the park, the D block is by the library just to our left. However their 'F' banding would be probably correct for flats in the riverside areas (certainly the west and east ends of that map).

It is hard to explain to people who aren't from this part of London or somewhere similar that, actually, three quarters of a mile *does* make that much difference to the price, with one end being a yuppie village compound, and the other end being a working class shopping parade sandwiched between council tower blocks. To put it in context, although we're a short walk from the luxury flats of Shad Thames, we're almost exactly the same walk from the North Peckham Estate.

You see some very marginal decisions at tribunal where they are clearly trying gradually to extend the boundary of the area they consider rich. In the long-term, thanks to the arrival of the tube and the upgrade of the East London line, and the fact that even rich people can't afford the yuppie area, that's kind of fair - but not done one property at a time, it clearly ought to be wholesale or nothing.

* Clearly not afraid of being stalked today, as to relieve the nausea associated with the flu I have, my doctor has given me some drugs whose main use is anti-anxiety. Soon I might stop believing the VOA are out to get me!

vivatifosi

Hi beingjdc,

I know what you mean, my Mum's from South East London - Shooter's Hill to be precise - and when I go back there (not very often, so don't worry, I won't be stalking...) one road has a totally different vibe from the next. I still wish you luck though...

And keep taking the drugs. The VOA is out to get all of us

cottin

Hi was wonderering if anyone else has had this problem. It may have been answered before but i can't find the thread so I thought I would post here.

My problem.

Council Hackney

followed the instructions on how to get my falt rebanded. Contacted the council and got the ball rolling. Last month got a letter back from VTS saying that the appeal hearing was to be held on Monday 25th at 10.30am. Got a letter from them yesterday saying the appeal had been dismissed. Below is quoted directly from their Letter

"Reasons for decision

Regulations give valuation tribunals the power to dismiss appeals if certain parties fail to appear. As the relevant parties did not atend the hearing, the tribunal dismissed this appeal. "

No where in the comunications they sent me about the appeal did it say I was required to attend. Before when friends have done this the decision has been made without their attendance, None of them have had it dismissed due to non attendance.

Is it worth me appealing against this decision ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Zebedeee

cottin, if you simply do not turn up for your tribunal then there is no-one to put your case to the panel and they have to dismiss the appeal. It is possible to send in a written statement by arrangement to the tribunal to put your case without you having to be there, but if you didn't do this then they have to dismiss it.

Having said that, the VOA should have been in contact with you prior to this to try to sort it out between you before any tribunal. My guess is that they hoped you would go away if they ignored you. I think in your situation I would ring the VTS (I have always found them to be very helpful) and plead your ignorance, explaining why you didn't turn up and that the VOA hadn't contacted you at all.

Personally speaking, I found it rewarding to be able to go to the tribunal and put my case in person. No one can argue your case as well as you can!

Zebedeee

TanyaB_2

When i was investigating buying my house last year, the VOA website came up with Band B, then when I actually moved in my statement put me in Band E - quite a shock to a first time buyer on a tight budget! The properties that were there before were indeed band A or B but were demolished and mine is a new build (I'm also on a 50% ownership scheme). The rest of the area is a run-down council estate so although it doesn't seem fair that I'm 3 bands higher, would I have a case to challenge with it being a new house? Help!!

vivatifosi

Hi Tanya,

That does sound very unfair. What you need to do is establish how much more your house is worth than those around. Get the bands for the adjacent streets as well as your own. You also need to find out the open market value of your house (which logic says should be what you paid x 2, but I mention this in case you received additional discounts). Then you need to take off any incentives included (free white goods, solicitors fees paid etc). That should give you the value that the VOA should have for your house.

If they are all council it won't be as easy, but you need to try and find out what ex-council houses have sold and for how much. If they have sold in the past year I would use that to build a comparison to your house price now (eg "my house is worth £40k more than my neighbours, yet is 3 bands higher, which does not reflect house price increases since 1991").

It is also hard to compare new-build to existing as new-build will generally cost more. In that respect try and find other similar new builds that were built where you live in 1991 and check their bands. You are looking for similar size properties in as close an area as possible (same town at the very least). If necessary, make the point that they ARE NOT shared ownership and in the middle of a run-down council estate. You can do this by looking back through the paper archives in your local library.

And please, whatever you do, if you are still within the six months of moving in, get it done before this time runs out so that you have a right to appeal to tribunal.

stardelight

Hi, I am investigating my fathers banding,as he's 80yo.
Situation is... row of 7 terrace houses, he's at one end(band D), the other end house is (band C).

Q: Does my father have a good chance of getting his banding lowered to C. Both these end houses are identical.
Incedently that band C house has just been sold, and i just cannot seem to find the price as to what it was sold for. I understand its a few months before a 'sold house' is actually listed on house prices sold.

Any encouraging thoughts, thankyou.

pennygreenhouse

Hi a question for anyone that could possibly help: I have challenged my council tax banding last year but this was rejected with no grounds for appeal on final decision. I still believe this decision was incorrect and i am in the wrong band. My property was put into a band D and out of 29 properties only 7 have been put into this band the other 22 properties are in band C in my road. The price calculater puts the value of my property in 1991 to be approx £62500 according to the band D it is £5500 below. Could you please advise me if there is anything i can do to still challenge the decision made against my claim.