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

lornawizz

Thanks to this website we have successfully challenged our banding down from an E to a D. We have been in the house since new and we bought it in the Summer of 1991 and had a contract which showed we had paid just under the minimum for band E. There are 6 other identical houses close to us, all bar one of which are band E.

We expect to get back around £3000 :j which is the amount repaid over 16 years. They tried to fob us off with just half that as their records only went back to 2004 and then wanted to credit it against this years bill. We challenged that and will now get a lump sum.

I have asked whether we get interest given the length of time but they have said no. Does anyone have any advice or experience on this please ?

lincroft1710

Lorna - you will not get any interest back from council as there is no legal obligation for them to pay interest on refunds of overpaid council tax.

milliesdad_2

lincroft1710 wrote: »

milliesdad - just read 15 Herbleaze decision - interesting!! £270K in 10/07 and Band F confirmed. My former neighbour sold for £227K in 12/07 and in Band D, and this would have been lower half D in 91, prob £75K max, and size about 105 sq metres. I do think you have an uphill struggle, but you may be able to persuade Tribunal that your part of development is so inferior in location compared with 15 Herbleaze that it warrants lower band.

EDIT

Forgot to add that if similar houses in Staverton Marina sold at same time as yours for more money then that is useful evidence.

Thanks - ironically our next door neighbour bought there house (idenitcal to ours) in the same week BUT paid £25,000 more so not a good one to use as evidence probably !!!!!

lincroft1710

milliesdad - VOA are supposed to present all relevant evidence, including that which is not in their favour, but fortunately no such requirement for the taxpayer.

bootman

2 months ago I phoned the the valuation office giving 2 exact houses as mine 3 miles away and another 6 all within 2 miles that are either more expensive and bigger and fall into one band lower than mine. But all the same kind of setting as me.

The response I have had totally ignores the 2 identical houses and says 3 of the others are 30 sqm smaller than mine and the other 6 they say they may review their banding's.

I wanted to get straight on the phone but though I better not.

I have spent hours reading all the helpful posts, but I just wondered if anyone would be kind enough to let me have a basic template of how they corresponded, or help me out.

Writing letters is not one of my strong points.

many thanks everyone

lincroft1710

bootman - sorry can't help with template, but even same house types a few miles apart can have different bands.

When I worked at VOA there were 3 estates in one town all having same 1950s houses by local, but large builder. No estate seemed to be worse or in worse position than others yet houses on estate A sold for less than identical ones on estates B and C. Because 1991 sale prices were around band break, houses on estate A were one band lower than identical houses on estates B and C.

Also "30 sq m smaller" houses may have extensions which VOA are unaware and therefore could be in wrong band.

The above are only possible explanations for apparent band discrepancies, your belief that your band is incorrect may be wellfounded.

ticiag

I applied twice for obvious band reduction and was refused with no right of appeal!
I then sold house and new couple appealed as i had advised them to and won but from date of their purchase. Can I go back and reclaim for years I was there?

cocobrains

Hi,

I am paying council tax band B and so are all my neighbours in my close, apart from the flats who are in band A. The thing is, most of my neighbours have three and four bedroomed properties and mine is only a two bedroomed.

Another two bedroomed property with a conservatory (mine has not got one) three doors away is valued at 27398 in 1991 after using nethouseprices to revalue.

Do you think it is worth trying to get it rebanded or is my case not strong enough?

Thank-you,

lincroft1710

cocobrains - house price indices are not accurate and the figures they come up with are laughable, houses usually sell with last figure being 5 or 0 and most often in multiples of £250.

It is probably worth trying, the worst that could happen is that the bands of the 3 and 4 beds are increased, although they may be at top of Band B, whereas you are at bottom. In some areas council houses are often all in same band as 1991 sales were never above £52,000.

SonOfPearl

I have a valuation tribunal to attend on the 4th June. I've no idea what to expect! Has anyone else been through the experience before and can you give me any tips for the day?