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

wombat65

do you think i have a case for rebanding due to been flooded in 2000 and 2007 due to drains backing up. this can happen several times a year depending upon the heavy downpours we get and whether im able to get my 5 pumps into the sewage drain in next doors driveway up and running!Yes! you read that correctly.Its myself with the help of my neighbour that is having to pump out raw sewage to save my home been inundated with the foul stuff..I am well known on my street whenever we have a downpour because ppl walk by looking sorry for me having to do this.Im sure this will have an impact on the value of my home as WHO would want to buy it with THIS type of maintainance?not me,or anyone who would read the HIP should i ever come to sell.Do you think i have a case for rebanding...at least til they get this problem sorted-if ever!!!!

lincroft1710

wombat65 - if it's a problem which could be remedied and has not been e.g. water authority should have improved sewers, the answer is probably no, even more probably no if water authority say problem is responsibility of homeowner.

However can you give us a bit more background - when was house built, when did you buy it, was 2000 first time this happened. What band are you currently in?

vivatifosi

Hi wombat,

Where I live householders have had problems with sewers backing up. We put pressure on the local water company to improve the pumping station, which was old and this has improved the issue. We did this as a residents association and it may be worth checking out whether you can exert similar pressure, if you haven't already done so.

In terms of impact on the property, I don't think so. I don't want to go into specifics because it would reveal where I live, but I mentioned a different problem in my tribunal. Even though I had plenty of evidence of the impact of this to present to the tribunal decided that there wasn't adequate that this specific factor affected the value. They did however reduce my banding based on the other factors that I raised. I also read a tribunal paper a few years back where a rebanding was refused on a property like yours because the risk of flooding would have existed in 1991.

So.... get what you can done on the flooding basis for your own sanity, but if going for a rebanding try and build a rounded case, built on several factors and pricing info, as you'll have more chance of winning. Back to Lincroft's question, what else can you tell us about where you live and what you paid?

Nurselayer

Hi all,

I've just discovered that my council tax band looks to be too high.

I live in a small block of 8 flats, there are identical blocks in the same road. I, and all of my immediate neighbours in the same block are paying band C. However I checked using the techniques described on this site and the blocks of flats on each side of us are set at band B. By using the valuation estimator based on a 2001 sale and the Nationwide property indicator our flats should be in the Band B bracket too.

Now, obviously I want to get my council tax reduced to Band B. I'm guessing that I could do this for my neighbours too and that it would strengthen our appeal if all the flats in the block put in an appeal too.

I'd appreciate any help/advice about this that you could give me. I've read the main article on how to go about reclaiming this. Is there any chance that the Band could go up? Are the bands based on today's values or 1991 values? If we apply for it to be revalued, with they then come back and revalue it annually/biannually etc as this could cause the band to rise quickly? Any other tips/hints?

Many thanks

lincroft1710

Nurselayer - house price guides are inaccurate, however I would suggest you firstly ring up your local Valuation Office Agency (address/phone no. on their website) and just ask why your block of flats are C and others are B. If you disagree with their answer you can only make a valid appeal if you became taxpayer within past 6 months. If you are out of time you can write in and ask them to investigate band. As VOA have details of virtually every property sale in country they should know what the flats sold for in 1991 which is relevant year for basis of Council Tax in England and Scotland.

Worst thing that could happen is that rather than your band be increased, if it's correct, the other blocks' bands may, and I stress, may be increased. When a band is revalued, barring extensions and subsequent sales, it will stay the same until next revaluation, which nobody knows the date of.

JayZed

In response to a challenge I made a few weeks ago, the valuation people are coming around next week to view my flat and decide whether to change our band. Is there anything we should say/do when they're there that might have an impact on their decision?

(The challenge is based on the fact that all of the other flats in the street are one or two bands lower than us, and we are in the same band as neighbouring three-bedroom houses.)

lincroft1710

JayZed - if there is anything that would help your case and would not be glaringly obvious, point it out, but don't harp on about the band being same as 3 bed house - I know of at least one block (and not in London or Brighton) where flats are in same bands as 4 and 5 bed houses - and your flat will be valued by comparison with other flats not houses. Remember that the purpose of the visit is to establish facts to find the correct band - this is what both VOA (England and Wales) and Assessor (Scotland) are supposed to do - find the correct band.

DavidD_3

Not sure if this is the right way to post a query, first timer.
Believe that my council tax band is too high original purchase to 1991 comparative valuation. If a request to re-band made, does the re-banding value still relate to 1991 or current market?
Help please.

lincroft1710

DavidD - if you're in England or Scotland all CT bands are based on 1991 values. If you're trying to calculate 1991 value using house price indices, remember that these can be 10 - 15% inaccurate.

shak316

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone can help me.
My father has been paying council tax for his CAR GARAGE!!! This was stopped in 2003 after my sister made an inquiry. We were told that the building was showing as a being listed as a 'store and premises' ie - business use and for this reason council tax had been charged. We recieved a lette from a valuation officer saying it was not their fault because they do not come out to re-evaluate, and the only thing they could do was to delete the building from the list.

My father moved into his house in around 1985 and started paying council tax around that time. The garage was used as some kind of workshop before he bought the house. So it looks like he has paid around more than 10 years of council tax which should not have been paid. Unfortunately i dont have alot of paper proof. I do have a few statements from 2001.
I dont think theres much we can do, but if anyone you guys/ gals can give me any advice / info i would be very grateful.

Thanks

Shak shak187@hotmail.com