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

TheHammer_3

Um.. I take it no one knows the answer to my question of the maximum number of years you can claim single persons discount for? Or maybe I wasn't clear? my brother has claimed for the entire duration of his tennancy, '94 to date. the council have apprantly refunded 2 yrs of discounts but refuse to respond to letters or emails about the remainder of the refund.

lincroft1710

TheHammer - I dealt with CT banding so do not know that much about the actual payment and benefits side. There is a frequent poster, CIS, who works for the finance dept of a council so he could probably answer your question.

kitchensink_2

Hi everyone, hope someone might be able to enlighten me on the checking process please - i'm getting very confused

I bought a house in July and have been recently investigating the council tax banding. The house was built in 2000 and according to the Nationwide Index should have been valued at band E in Q2 of 1991 however, we are paying band F.

I have checked the Valuation list for our road, 7 houses have been banded F and 4 are E. All the houses are of a similar size, the main difference being size of kitchen, some have 2 ensuites, and number of garages/whether garages are detached. They all have the same number of bedrooms i think.

I have checked house prices for every house back to 1991 and they all fall within price band E (88-120K).

does anyone think I should look into querying the tax, or am i likley to get my neighbours put up and risk being very unpopular!!!:o

Any thoughts gratefully appreciated.

lincroft1710

Kitchensink - both Nationwide and Halifax indices are inaccurate and at best only a rough guide. If there is a house exactly the same type as yours in a lower band it may be yours is wrong, or may be theirs is wrong. The only way to find out is to ring and ask VOA to explain precisely why the bands are different for similar houses. You should then be in a better position to judge if you should appeal.

But remember your time limit for making a formal appeal is fast running out, so do not hesitate in contacting VOA.

kitchensink_2

thanks - checked house valuations for others nearby that are exactly the same as mine and they are all an F ... oh well...

....but, in the process have discovered the council seem to be charging us for band G -no idea why!!!!! Will be on the phone 1st thing. Shows it's never a waste of time to have a quick check over of things. Fingers crossed we might get a bit of money back :T

LethalleftpeG

I read this thread with interest and done the relevant checks just before xmas. I was in band D (im 99% sure we were anyway)

Having just ran through the checks again, my band has been changed to a C according to the VOA website. Ive received no confirmation of this change from the council.

Do the council make these kind of changes off their own back?

If I made a claim should it still be successful?

Thanks in advance.

lincroft1710

In England and Wales councils cannot alter CT bands, the VOA alters them and notifies CT payer of alteration.

I would suggest you check your band by using postcode search on VOA website. If the band allocated to your home is C which seems to be the band you were expecting then there is little point in seeking a reduction.

LethalleftpeG

lincroft1710 wrote: »

In England and Wales councils cannot alter CT bands, the VOA alters them and notifies CT payer of alteration.

I would suggest you check your band by using postcode search on VOA website. If the band allocated to your home is C which seems to be the band you were expecting then there is little point in seeking a reduction.

Thanks for your response.

Maybe I wasnt very clear in my post.

I am certain we were in band D when I checked just before xmas and it is now showing as a C.

I was going to appeal to be moved into band C from D, but this change has taken place before I submitted the appeal.

We moved into our property in December 05 which means we have been paying band D council tax since then.

lincroft1710

By law the VOA has to notify CT payers of a band change, so if the band has been changed you should be receiving/have received a letter saying the band has been reduced from D to C. Also check your 09/10 CT bill from council, it should show what band was at start of financial year.

If your band has been reduced and also backdated (check date band applicable from on VOA website) then you are due a refund of any overpayment and council will contact you regarding this.

DaisyMoo

Hi folks - just wondering if someone could answer a quick question...
I've been looking into the possiblity of reclaiming council tax as I believe we are in the wrong band (currently in I have followed all the steps advised by Martin and I just wanted to check with someone before I actually set the wheels in motion.
Some of my neighbours are paying Band A council tax while we are paying band B, however, I am aware that some of the flats in the building have only 1 bedroom and we have 2 - would this affect the council tax price? if so, I may not have a case.
I really appreciate any help or insight anyone can give - thanks :0)