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

Zebedeee

Hmm. I'm sorry I don't know the situation for social housing banding. I assume that the band is based on the value that it would have been had it been sold on the open market at that time, but I don't know how to go about finding out what that would have been. Are there simillar properties in your area which are private that you could investigate?

Hopefully some other more knowledgeable soul will come on here and enlighten us!

Zebedeee

El_Gen

Hello!
I'm newly registered but thought i'd share this as someone may have some tips or may be in the same position.

I'm renting a 3 bedroom dormer bungalow which is in the country side. Its in a group of 3 houses. The other 2 houses are in band G. One is a 5 bed and one a 6 bed and both are substantially larger with more reception rooms, outbuildings etc. Despite the obvious discrepancies in size, we are still a band F.

Due to the location, there are no houses comparable to mine to use when appealing against this.

However, I did find another house on the market, less than a mile away. It's 5 bedroom, with outbuildings. Its substantially larger than mine yet is also in Band F!!

I was fobbed off by the valuation people, but I really nagged them as it's impossible to find comparables.

Anyway, the line manager finally agreed to take a look at it due to the lack of comparables.

Currently I'm paying over £210 a month, which is outrageous! :mad::mad::mad:

exvoperson

Zebedeee wrote: »

Hi supersezzie

I'm afraid I have no idea about the written representations/written submission thing either, but I do know that you can ask for the date to be changed if it isn't suitable for you. I found the VTS to be very helpful, answering all my questions about tribunals. They can't advise you specifically about your case, obviously, but they will help you understand the tribunal process.

How old is your propery and can you go back to 1991 newspapers for selling prices for that time? I found that to be very productive.

HTH!

Zebedeee

Written reps are where neither party attends the tribunal and only happens if both parties agree to it. I have never known the VO to agree to this. Written submission is why you write in with your case but the VO will attend. I have never known a taxpayer win a case in this way. You really do need to attend. The VT will be happy to move your case to another hearing but it may be a few months away.
With regard to social housing prices are generally lower than private developments but it varies a lot from estate to estate. There will be a problem with regard to market evidence due to most properties being rented. Also a number of transaction may be below market vale due to discounts and share schemes.
Have the VO sent you their evidence yet. If not I suggest you wait until they do before contacting the VT to request a later hearing. that way it will give you more time to consider thier evidence
Hope that helps
ExVOperson

ahoy_2

Hello everyone, I am a full time foreign student living with my spouse who is my Dependant and a son born here in the UK, we have no recourse to public finds. I share a house with another full time foreign student who is single. My question is "Do we have to pay council for this property? " because the council is telling me that since my spouse (Dependant) is working, she will have to pay council tax. can anyone educate me on what the law states?

Zebedeee

Hi ahoy.

This board is specifically about reducing the council tax band of your house. I think you would be better off asking your question over on the Benefits forum as that is not our area of speciality over here!

As a general rule, if you live in a house you pay council tax on it. You can claim help towards paying the tax if your household's income is below a certain level and your council would be able to tell you if you qualify for that.

Sorry I can't be anymore help than that.

Zebedeee

Zebedeee

Hi El Gen and welcome to the board!

You're right, it is tricky when you don't have many/any comparables in the vicinity. You might have to look further afield into a neighbouring hamlet/village to find something simillar. I think you have done the right thing tho' in pestering the VOA to look into it. I'd ask them to justify your banding. They must have some reasons for setting your band as it is. It isn't supposed to be purely random!

Zebedeee

kl1ng0n5

Looking for some advise. Have been contacted by the council ( West Dunbartonshire, Scotland). They have advised me that I am entitled to a £1600 pound refund but it is part of the council policy to see if I owe them any monies first before the release the cheque. I have supplied them with my previous addresses. The girl also said it would between 4 to 12 weeks for this to be checked out. I have paid all council tax bills to date and my poll tax bill, which I paid when I bought my first flat in 1995. Could somebody answer these questions?

• Although I paid my poll tax I have no proof that I paid it and knowing the council they will try and say that I did not pay it?
• Is there a maximum time limit for then to issue the cheque as I think that 2 weeks is a reasonable time limit, not the 4 to 12 weeks that they are quoting.

Thanks in advance.

thomas0735

My mum recently moved from her flat to a bungalow and rents out her house which has been split into 5 flats. One of the tenants moved from one flat into my mum's old flat and then moved back to her original flat. She discovered that the council tax on the larger flat (my mums old flat) is cheaper than what she's paying for a smaller flat and now she's appealing this. My mum is concerned that if they raise the banding on her old flat then she will recieve a large bill for the tax banding being wrong. Does she have anything to be concerned about, would she be charged at all with the banding being changed?

petermasih

A recent dispute about benefits resulted in a VOA revaluation of a friend's house. Amazingly it came out as less than £33,000 in 2002 - even though it has been in band E (£88,000+) since 1991!!!

Until I read your site I hadn't realised you can ask to be rebanded, even if you don't fit into the standard "permitted" categories. Thanks, Martin, for pointing this out.

My friend has lived in this house since before Council Tax came in. So I'm now helping him ask for rebanding to Band A and am hopeful he will get THOUSANDS back. Watch this space!!!

petermasih

kl1ng0n5 wrote: »

Looking for some advise. Have been contacted by the council ( West Dunbartonshire, Scotland). They have advised me that I am entitled to a £1600 pound refund but it is part of the council policy to see if I owe them any monies first before the release the cheque. I have supplied them with my previous addresses. The girl also said it would between 4 to 12 weeks for this to be checked out. I have paid all council tax bills to date and my poll tax bill, which I paid when I bought my first flat in 1995. Could somebody answer these questions?

• Although I paid my poll tax I have no proof that I paid it and knowing the council they will try and say that I did not pay it?
• Is there a maximum time limit for then to issue the cheque as I think that 2 weeks is a reasonable time limit, not the 4 to 12 weeks that they are quoting.

Thanks in advance.

Don't fret too much, Klingon

I think you'll find that the Council's records are pretty accurate.

Be patient. In the eyes of the Council you are not priority (unless you are in danger of becoming homeless if they don't pay you quickly enough -- tell them if you are!!!). Hopefully the computer will print a cheque out in the end!! :drool: Just keep klinging on!!!

[btw Poll Tax (= Community Charge) went out in 1992, so I think the tax you paid from 1995 will have been Council Tax.]