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

steadman_2

i have just moved to another village,i only rent my house it costs me £140.00 pounds a week and now am in band b it stinks when its not even my house.

lincroft1710

Council Tax is payable by occupier, whether or not he/she is owner.

catmiaow

If you're a student it is free.

Helenr_2

I am moving into a new house this weekend and have investigated the council tax band of the property and it is down as Band B in my area. This causes me to think it maybe worth challenging this band for reduction, here's my reasoning: -

Property is only worth £87,000 in Qtr 3 and on Calculator it would have been worth £33,000 in 1991.

Property is only a 1-bed terraced cottage, in the past it has been knocked through to next door which was/is a 2-bed property to create a larger 4-bed property. Last year both properties were bought when the owner moved on and converted back into the 2-original properties. Information I've found suggests that my property was valued as part of the next property not in original form.

All other neighbouring properties are 2-bed properties or larger so comparisons are hard but are predominantly in Band B with one being Band C and 1-other being Band A.

Edited to add: - I've just checked the VOA web-site and the banding was given in 2007 - obviously when it was converted back to it's original status.

Is it worth challenging based on HPI valuation??

lincroft1710

Helenr - HPIs are unreliable as they are too generalised. Depending on area Band B would be correct for a 1 bed. If the 2 into 1 conversion occurred after April 93, then you could find out what original banding was. Best way forward is to look at bands of other similar 1 beds in locality.

Helenr_2

Thanks you've been a great help and other 1-bed properties in the area all seem to be Band A, it appears the property has been somewhat over valued, I think I'll try, it's can't go up so what's the harm hey!

dustman

My appeal was dismissed on the six month rule anything I can do to overturn this decision? I live in Scotland.

dustman

lincroft1710 wrote: »

VOA are very reluctant to pay any interest and when I worked there, policy was only to pay interest where VOA had neglected to reduce band of identical house in same street where others had been reduced or had wilfully not reduced a band which should have been reduced (very, very rare).

If valuation appeals committee reduce band on one property are they legally obliged to change identical properties in that area?

lincroft1710

dustman - VOA have a legal duty to maintain correct bands, but they are not obliged to reduce bands of houses which they believe are correct, despite a Valuation Tribunal decision on an apparently identical property. If VOA are of opinion that a Valuation Tribunal decision was perverse, or not sound, or there were special circumstances which related only to that property, or the other houses have differences which would keep them in higher band, they will not reduce the bands of the other houses.

An example of an unsound decision would be where the decision has been influenced by the evidence of a taxpayer which has later been found out to be inaccurate or untrue.

As you're in Scotland local assessor may well take similar view of appeals committee decisions

lincroft1710

Sonar - as in England/Wales, where bands determined by Valuation Office Agency (part of HMRC) Assessor only has to decide band in which he believes the dwelling should be placed. He does NOT have to "put a value on it".

To give an example - in England a Band E dwelling would have been expected to sell for more than £88,000 but no more than £120,000 as at 1 April 1991. The VOA has to band a detached 1970s 4 bed house in a street where in mid 1991 three similar size 1960s/70s detached houses sold for £93,000, £98,000 and £102,000, which clearly prove Band E would be correct band.