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

lincroft1710

dilimb - if the evidence available to the VOA clearly shows that the bands for your house and the other 20 are right and that the bands for the 200 are too low then they are correct in law in increasing the bands of the 200.

I don't know if VOA policy is still the same, but some years ago we were advised by head office that bands should not be increased where the 1991 value of a dwelling was only just into the higher band. I would emphasise that this was an instruction and had no legislation to support it.

Also large scale band increases would be very carefully considered and in most cases referred to senior management for approval

Zebedeee

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Zebedeee - unless the houses whose bands were increased were different from yours, VOA should have reduced these back to original band following the Tribunal decision in your favour. The taxpayers can still ask for rebanding, quoting your decision as evidence.

I know of some of the neighbours who challenged the rebanding but then backed down and didn't pursue it, and one who took it to tribunal and lost!

lincroft1710

Zebedeee - the Tribunal's decision in your neighbour's case indicates one (or more) of the folowing.

1. The 2 houses were sufficiently different to warrant different bands.
2. Your house has some form of disadvantage which his hasn't.
3. His house has an advantage which yours hasn't.
4. The VOA produced more convincing evidence than at your Tribunal.
5. The Tribunal (for whatever reason) decided that the Tribunal in your case did not reach the correct decision.
6. The Tribunal didn't know what the ???? it was doing.

I have personal experience of a Tribunal rejecting the decision of a previous Tribunal on a neighbouring identical house type, but the second Tribunal reduced the band, whereas first dismissed appeal. Very confusing for anyone trying to decide which band is in fact correct.

Zebedeee

lincroft1710, re the above, 6 is the only answer which fits.

cliopete

I have just found this forum and having gone through all the checks have realised that a property I owned from 1983 until 2005 was in band E when identical neighbouring properties were band D. Has anyone succeeded in claiming on properties they have since vacated?

lincroft1710

Cliopete, you cannot ask for band review of a property you no longer own, you will have to see if current occupier is willing to ask for review.

vivatifosi

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Zebedeee - unless the houses whose bands were increased were different from yours, VOA should have reduced these back to original band following the Tribunal decision in your favour. The taxpayers can still ask for rebanding, quoting your decision as evidence.

We had the same problem lincroft. It took a further two appeals to tribunal to get them all rebanded, they even made one appeal invalid, even though it was off of the back of mine and in time! Sometimes the system just doesn't work. Funnily enough mine and zebedeee's appeals were at the same time, so we did share several months of frustration.

If the other houses aren't rebanded within the six months, I'd be inclined to ensure that further formal and in-date appeals are made so that they too can go to tribunal off of the back of the first.

lincroft1710

viva - I agree. If rebanding hasn't occurred after 5 months (should be enough time for VOA to sort out neighbours' bands) then neighbours of same/similar house type should submit relevant VT decision proposals.

GIBZY

Hi

Apologies if I'm butting in.
Just found this site. Thanks Martin.
Hope someone can give me a spot of advise.

I think the CT Band my flat is in is wrong.
I brought it for less than £30K in late 1991. This would put it in Band A but I'm being charged for Band C. I never thought I could be being over charged or knew that I could appeal until recently. This is my first property.
Unfortunately there are no other properties in my area like mine so its difficult to do the neighbour's test. They are all bigger in some way.
The VOA say I have missed the 6 month window to appeal.

Any advise from the community before I call the VOA again would be appreciated.
Many thanks!

G

lincroft1710

GIBZY - pl see my PM