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

lincroft1710

Also edited

Airwolf1

No problem.

brown_eyes_2

Hi, can anyone answer my question please.
I single work 16 hours week and live with my 2 children of 18 and 20, both are lucky and have jobs albeit on minimum wage, am i entitled to any help with my council tax?
Thanks.

Zebedeee

Hi brown eyes. That is more of a benefit question than a council tax reduction question so you're asking the wrong folks here - haven't got a clue! I would think it would depend on your earnings, but if I were you I think I'd ask the council directly. They'll have a form to fill in, I'm sure, where you can imput your details and they will let you know if you are entitiled to any help with your council tax. It won't hurt to ask.

HTH,
Zebedeee

catshack28

Hi

My property formed part of an will in 1991 and would have been valued for probate purposes based on the open market value. Does anyone know if I can obtain a copy of the probate valuation?

I have already had our band reduced to E but it is borderline D and I need more evidence.

Thanks for reading

vivatifosi

I've managed to get hold of a copy of an old will from the Probate Office (in York I think). Give them a call, it took a week or so to come through. It may well be the case that the probate value is considered low though. Good luck!

lincroft1710

catshack28 - probate value is often just a guesstimate and because of inheritance tax would probably be on low side. It would reflect things such as poor repair, which is ignored for CT purposes. Also if property in need of updating and this was carried out between 1991 and date of last sale, then probate value would reflect a condition which no longer exists and would be of little help.

As the VOA are asked by Capital Taxes Office to confirm value of some properties on which Inheritance Tax may be payable, then there is possibility VOA may already have a copy of probate valuation.

catshack28

Thanks for your feedback. I wanted the probate value because it is supposed to be an open market valuation and if accepted by one arm of goverment I don't see that the other arm could dissagree easily.
I am lucky as I have a convenance from 1992 which helped get the band to E borderline F (in my view) but I am convinced given a little more evidence I could take it to the next step.
Will let you know.

Happy new year

lincroft1710

Catshack - it was often the case that if a deceased's property sold within a few months of the death, then that figure may be accepted for inheritance tax. So there is a possibility that the 1991 probate value may well be the same as the amount of the 1992 conveyance.

More importantly 1992 house prices were lower than those in 1991, so if the 1992 sale price indicates 1991 value at just under £120K (Band E max), I can't see 1991 probate value being lower than £88K (Band D max).

As I said in my previous post, a value for probate/inheritance tax purposes and a value for CT purposes do not have the same assumptions. As VOA have evidence of 1992 sale this is of more value than 1991 probate valn. Certainly when I was in VOA, I (and my colleagues) would take more notice of an actual sale price than a valuation for other purposes.

arunadasi

Hello, new here today!

I believe I have grounds to make a claim.
I live in a block of 10 terraces, each with 3 or 4 flats, mine is the third flat, top floor. Today I did some research and made the following discovery: I am in Band C. Every other 3rd floor flat in the block is in Band B - including the mirror image flat next door. The two flats below me are also Band C, and so are the two lower flats next door - it's the end terrace house.
At the other end of the block there are two masionettes, which are Band D.
A couple of flats across the road I checked are Band B as well.

But all other flats in the block are Band B or Band A. The Band A's in every case are all Third Floor flats - just like mine.

The problem is that I've lived here quite a few years. What's with this 6 month limit regulation? Is there a template I can use to write a letter requesting rebanding? What if they raise all my neigbours' tax!
Thanks for any help!