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

Suzkin

Hi, Interesting link Vivatifosi: Is the same kind of data available for 1997 purchases?

vivatifosi

Hi Suzkin,

1997 is on there, but probably doesn't show on the page where it opens. Page down to the town that you are interested in, then page across to the years you are interested in. Hopefully it will do the trick. Good luck...

Suzkin

Thanks - I'll try that.

[Deleted User]

Hi all, I have at the end of Jan moved to a new house in Aberdeen which is Band D.

Its sold in November 08 for 125000.
In August 04 for 85000
In June 03 for 55000

I have checked the neighbours and they are also in band D.

However using http://www.nationwide.co.uk/hpi/ with 08 sale price I get a 1991 value of £43889 Band C. Using 04 price £37657 Band C, using 03 value £25347 Band B.

In your opinions is it worth asking for a re-evaluation? Would stating that three sale prices over the last 5 years all suggest that the April 1st 1991 value was below band D. I am not expecting a drop to B (as the 03 value suggests) but surely to C is possible.

I hope someone can help with advice.

thanks

poll

FIRST POST
Hi can any one advise me.We moved in our house after building it in a self build group in 1968.Our grove consists 39 houses all semis except us 8 who are link detached.Ours are only normal sized hses 3 moderate bedrooms a small bathroom fair sized kitchen big enough to eat in areasonable size lounge and downstairs toilet garage single and a small front and back garden. All the semis are bigger than ours.For many years i noted Martins hints but always thought we were in right band until one day found all semis are band C and us 8 are BAND D .I did some homework houses now worth 170000-£180000 SO IN 1991 THEY were between 55-59000 which makes them a definate band C THE man in no 1 moved in 1988 and paid £50000 and 1 couple moved in 3 years ago and £163000 I wrote to voa explaining all this wrote back saying they had checked other detached hses in surrounding areas and our banding is right Ithen phoned up and he told me to write in again which i did I have now received another letter back saying amajority of similar houses are in band D and Ido not intend to review your banding again. What does he mean by similar houses when I phoned in the first time he mentioned adresses of detached houses they had compared us with I had never heard of any of the adresses and ours are link detached which makes a big difference.Please can anyone tell me what else i could do would we be better going as group of 8 or is there someone else we can approach .Sorry about my long winded post but i wanted to give you the full picture as we had been refused.
regards Poll

lincroft1710

Flexiblefish - unfortunately your research seems to prove how inaccurate house price indices are! You are in time to appeal against band and no harm in doing this, if band's correct, well it's correct, but if it is wrong, that's the only way you'll find out.

poll - depending on where you live D is usual for link det or det. £50K in 88 is low as that was height of 80's housing boom. Valuations for CT are made by looking at actual 1991 sales of properties as near as poss to subject property in type, size, age, location rather than looking at sales at varying dates and working backwards/forwards. Unless you can prove that your group of 8 would be significantly inferior to those VOA mentioned I don't think there's much else you can do.

[Deleted User]

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Flexiblefish - unfortunately your research seems to prove how inaccurate house price indices are! You are in time to appeal against band and no harm in doing this, if band's correct, well it's correct, but if it is wrong, that's the only way you'll find out.

Only been in the house 2 weeks. So I image I could do this. It is a 2 bedroom semi. Is it easy to do?

poll

Thanks Linworth for taking the time to answer its so frustrating though I thought it was like the old rates system where the size ground and how convenient you were to services ie:shops busstops etc if this was the case all the other houses in the grove are bigger than ours but they are semis I was wondering if each of the 8 houses applied individually would they get the message there is no way we would ever have sold for more than £180000 even in the boom time how prices have gone now we would be lucky to get £170000 this is definately in the Band C isnt it.Thanks again for your answer i will keep posting after I have spoken to the neighbours
regards Poll

lincroft1710

flexiblefish - yes it's easy to make appeal, it can be done online by googling Scottish Assessors Association website and following Council Tax links. If you can find other similar 2 bed semis in Band C nearby, that will help your case enormously.

poll - actually rates system was based on notional rental value but just house type and size and which village/town situated, proximity to shops etc, never came into it. (I'm ex VOA and spent many years dealing with rating of houses then dealt with CT for 12 yrs). If the last sale was in 2005/6 at £163K, that would suggest more than £180K by late 2007. And current values are much more than 10% below 2007. It doesn't really matter though as all VOA are interested in are 1991 values. If all 8 occupiers write in it won't "persuade" VOA that your bands are incorrect as it does not add any merit to your case, it just says that 8 people have got together and decided their bands are wrong. To stand any chance of making VOA change mind, you've got to either find similar houses nearby in Band C, or find 1991 sales of similar houses, which will be difficult as you can only access newspaper ads of asking prices not sale prices.

athens04

Hey everyone, i cant find the answer in these posts but apologies if it has been discussed. Basically i moved from one council property to another 5 years ago at the previous property i had single person discount as my daughter is a student when we moved i filled in all the usual paperwork and continued to pay c.tax by DD, havin looked at martins advice i contected the council to see if i was infact receiving single persons discount, it turns out im not but they are refusing to refund as "it should have been claimed at the time" wich i believe it was! Any advice on how i go about challenging os sure as hell if id underpaid for 5 years theyd be on me! thanks alot for any help its much appreciated