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

-chris-

Zebedeee wrote: »

Hang on, if I've got this right you're saying the VOA won't raise the neighbours band to D as this would 'compound the error'? So they are saying that yours being in band C is an error? If so, they are obliged to alter the bands to ensure uniformity. Anomolies are not allowed. Usually the VOA like to correct this by putting the neighbours' bands up, but seeing as they say that would be wrong (Fortunately, you've no idea how embarrassing it is when that happens!:o) they have to put yours down. Remind them that the 'tone of the list' is band C and that they are obliged to 'maintain the lists fair and accurate'.

If you can find a tribunal case in your area which is simillar to your case then they have to allow you a tribunal. I hope you get it sorted before this tho'.

Thanks for replying so quickly. Sorry I could have worded the post better but I am actually in band D but believe I should be in band C. Some of my neighbours are in band D but they have had extensions within the last 6 years but three houses are in band C (not exended as mine). The VOA feel my banding is correct but that the three houses in band C may be the result of an error and they do not intend to compound that error. Can you explain what you mean by "tone of the list" and do you think it's worth me going back to them??

Thanks for all your help!

Zebedeee

-/chris-/ wrote: »

Thanks for replying so quickly. Sorry I could have worded the post better but I am actually in band D but believe I should be in band C. Some of my neighbours are in band D but they have had extensions within the last 6 years but three houses are in band C (not exended as mine). The VOA feel my banding is correct but that the three houses in band C may be the result of an error and they do not intend to compound that error. Can you explain what you mean by "tone of the list" and do you think it's worth me going back to them??

Thanks for all your help!

Right-o. The tone of the list refers to a generalised banding of simillar properties, as I understand it. For example, supposing you live on an estate of houses where there are no significant differences in location (ie. one side of the estate isn't backing onto a smelly, noisy factory while the other side looks across beautiful scenery.) You should find on that estate that all simillarly-valued 3-bed semis all fall within the same band and a property the same as yours should definitely be in the same band. You may also find that a smaller or larger property could also be in the same band, as these bands cover a range of values, but that there should be uniformity in the way these bands are applied to the properties. No one property should stick out as being in a different band to others to which it is comparable in value.

That said, the VOA are in your case saying that you represent the 'tone' and the others are wrong. What you need to do is prove that you should be in band C. To do this you will have to find evidence that your property was valued below £68k in 1991. Without this hard evidence you won't get anywhere with this, as the house price calculators are only a guide and don't prove anything. If you haven't done so already, check out my previous posts on how to do this.

Hope that helps!

Beees

Banding now - C
Hope to be - B

I've been fighting my banding since October 2007.Having read some of the success stories on here I was hoping the Valuation Office would give in long before now, but we have had to go the whole 9 yards and go to a valuation tribunal. It seemed to go well and the panel seemed sympathetic, especially as the council tax valuation officer had to admit that they have misbanded at least 75 similar properties in my area (and basically don't know what they're doing). Still, it's been really frustrating to pay £145 a month council tax on a two bedroom flat with no lift, garage, garden or fire escape in the meantime. They've got about 14 days to give us their decision in writing - god I hope it goes in our favour because we did not budget for such an extortionate council tax bill when we started renting our flat, and it's really hurting us financially. If they vote in our favour I'm notifying everyone in our flats...all 100 of them! And if we lose, well, at least we fought them every step of the way, even if it will have been a total waste of my time and energy.

CHARLIE

Hi All

I have read through the site and I think I am thick because I can't understand ALL of what you are supposed to do??
I live in a long road and all of the road is band E except one house which has been banded D it's a few doors away from me. What do I do now??
On Martin's chart for house price's in 1991 the price for band E is a lot more than what we paid for it in 1992.
Can anybody out there explain to me and help me along.
All the houses in the road are different now, some 3 beds 4 beds 5beds with extentions, but in 1991 most houses only had 3 beds and hardly any extentions built back then.

vivatifosi

Hi Bees,

I just want to wish you the very best of luck with your Tribunal outcome. Like you, the VOA fought me every step of the way (as well as Zebedeee and many others here). You are among the like-minded and like-experienced.

In my case my tribunal did open the door for other residents. There have been four successful appeals off of the back of mine and many more in the works, with no losses as yet.

Life and unfair taxes need trailblazers like you to right the wrongs. Good luck, its a long road ahead for sure, but hopefully very rewarding!

vivatifosi

Hi Charlie,

In most areas of the UK prices in 1992 were lower than they were in 1991, often quite substantially so. If you imagine the 10-15% falls that are anticipated now, then that's pretty much what was happening then. However the falls were not equal across all types of property and across all parts of the country. Was your house new in 1992 or is that when you moved to an existing property?

Do you know when and why the adjacent house was banded D? If you go to the VOA page for your street and click on the details for the house banded D, it may have something called "banding history". If the house has a banding history, that means that the VOA has rebanded the house since the council tax was introduced. Furthermore, if there is a V symbol against the house, this means that the homeowner has taken the matter to tribunal. Finally, check the effective from date. If there isn't one, or its 1993, then that means that the date is from when the council tax was introduced. If however there is a later date, this would tend to suggest that the particular homeowner in question had a different reason for appeal (eg its owned as a disabled conversion, part of the house has been knocked down, or - and this is the one that is interesting to you - something has changed in the local area to devalue the houses).

That should get you started. IF, having looked at all these things you still think you have a case, the next step would be to ascertain the value of your house in 1991. The great thing is that you know its value one year later. So the best thing is to go to the local library, scan the papers for Jan-April 1991 and work out what similar houses were priced at then (ideally in the same street).

Good luck!

LunarTick_2

Greetings fellow forumers, I am a new poster to this site and would welcome any observations from the more experienced “Tax Reclaimers” among you.

I have been in dispute with the Valuation Agency since October 2007 concerning my banding, which has been higher than much larger surrounding properties and which the VOA insisted was correct, which has resulted in me paying higher Council Taxes than many of my neighbours in identical or superior properties since I took occupancy in 1999.

However all my persistence and letter writing has only served to, apparently, irritate the Listing Office because all that has happened is that a re-banding of the surrounding properties has taken place to bring them into line with mine, this is despite the fact that no alterations have been carried out on the re-valued properties and they are the same now as in 1991, and all but one are owned by a local private Landlord so no Relevant Transactions have taken place.

A privately owned house, currently for sale at £795,000.00, which sold for £690,000.00 in March 2007 is a grade 2 listed 6 bedroom property that was band D but has now been re-valued to band G, if the sale (relevant transaction) takes place presumably the council tax will change despite no alterations taking place since the 1991 valuations.

My house is a rented 3 bed terraced property band E and my neighbour’s house which is the other identical half of the terrace is band D which has now been re-banded to E. My neighbour has been in the house since before the 1991 valuations and no alterations have taken place.

Presumably no changes in their Council Tax payments could take place because there has not been a relevant transaction, which would mean I still pay more Council tax than my neighbour in an identical property.

It has also occurred to me that the Listing Office could change any valuations they like, as in this case, and anyone using the VOA site for information, as in my case now, would not be able to tell that a neighbour in an identical property is actually paying less Council Tax.

There are four other semi-detached properties that are owned by the same landlord, property 1&2 are identical and banded at D& E respectively, and property 3&4 are identical and banded D& E respectively, all four of which are superior properties to mine.

It would seem that despite all the information on this site and the facts stated on the VOA website they can, apparently re-value any property and re-band it to whatever they feel is correct at any time they want to.

maemaesmummy

Looking for a bit of help here guys.. I live on a newish estate and having checked the VOA database find that the ex showhouse (idential to mine) has been rebanded from E to D.. I note on the register that there is a V on there so I see this has gone to a tribunel (sp)

My request has gone from Invalid notice, to no, then at the weekend to we are reviewing your banding and will contact you in due course

Can anyone throw any light or advice here? Please

vivatifosi

Hi LunarTick

They can indeed reband to their hearts content, and it isn't fair, and they do use it as a stick to beat people up with.

I would say get your neighbour to go to tribunal. The difference between band D and band E is over 20% per year and they won't like paying extra. My understanding is that you have a six month period after which the band has been increased in which to appeal. That way they get a tribunal to decide whether it is right or wrong. If they win their tribunal then you put your appeal in off the back of it as soon as you know that they have won.

vivatifosi

maemaesmummy wrote: »

Looking for a bit of help here guys.. I live on a newish estate and having checked the VOA database find that the ex showhouse (idential to mine) has been rebanded from E to D.. I note on the register that there is a V on there so I see this has gone to a tribunel (sp)

My request has gone from Invalid notice, to no, then at the weekend to we are reviewing your banding and will contact you in due course

Can anyone throw any light or advice here? Please

Hi maemaesmummy

Great that the showhouse went to tribunal. I would of course argue that the house was finished to a higher specification than mine and therefore worth more...;).

If there has been a valid tribunal there are two different issues. If you appeal within six months of that tribunal you have a right to go straight to tribunal yourself if you disagree. If you don't, then they still need to study the situation carefully. A tribunal overturn of a VOA decision is up there as the number one most important factor to take into consideration. Check the house price websites and see if the show house went for a lower price than yours. If it wasn't significantly lower, you should be onto a winner.

Also, when the VOA comes, make sure that you have a list of any incentives that you paid for the house (free carpets, white goods that aren't built in, furniture, solicitors fees paid etc ALL have to be stripped out of the sales price). This might also provide you with just the evidence you need to tip you down a band.

Good luck!