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

1982deaks

Hi, I have a bit of an unusual house in that part of next doors house extends into mine over my dining room, so from the front my house looks bigger than it is. Both houses are in band B and are similar, but there are no other comparable houses on the street to compare to. I have done the 1991 check and my house easilly falls into band A. Do you think I have a case to try and get rebranded? Thanks

megganrachel

I live in a bungalow and am the only 1 in the street!! therefore i dont have anything to compare it with to know what I should be looking at.

Anyone got any ideas please????

lincroft1710

1982deaks - as I have said many times on this forum both Halifax and Nwide HPIs are inaccurate and their calculations of 1991 values usually produce too low a figure. "Flying freeholds" are known about and the chances are the VOA will be aware of the neighbour's first floor encroachment into your property but do check this with them.

I would also suggest you try to find any similar size houses in the neighbourhood which are Band A. The flying freehold will affect the value of your home, but may not be sufficient to affect the band. It is definitely worth pursuing though.

lincroft1710

Megganrachel - look for any bungalows geographically as near to yours as possible. You may have to look on the other side of town or in the next village. Remember that usually a bungalow will be worth more than a house of the same size.

andrewf_2

Ok just decided to check my banding and I reckon both my neighbour and I are in the wrong band - currently listed as band D.

We are in a street that is 90% three beds with a few four bed houses. When we moved in the whole street was new build so we knew the original prices of the houses and how our house differed from the other three beds.

My friend to the left has a four bed and is in band E and the three beds all appear to be band D, however this is where I think we differ.

Whilst my friend to the right and I (who both have exactly the same house - mirrored) have three beds they are smaller than all the other houses in the street and when sold went for around £30-£35K less than them. They dont have en-suite like the others or separate lounge and dining / diner off the kitchen. Putting these and several other houses through the checking process both our houses are being valued as dead in the middle of band C whilst the other three beds are in band D.

In Martin's guide he suggests not worth the risk if your neighbours band is not different from yours, however I believe we are both wrong as all the other houses are bigger and more valuable than ours.

I plan to chat to them tonigh but wondered if anyone has come across a similar issue. Also does anyone think a joint approach would work better or recduce our chances given that they may see that both are wrong?

PS they bought more recently than us so assume they would have a better case?

lincroft1710

so assume they would have a better case?

Only if they bought in last 6 months and you didn't, they then have automatic right of appeal. In which case (if they believe their band is wrong) they should appeal rather than you ask for a reduction. Then if they're successful you should get reduction following on from them.

If neither of you are within 6 months time limit then you should both ask for reduction using same reasons.

BTW £30 -£35K difference in recent price does not automatically mean houses will be in different bands, this could translate to less than £15K or less at 91 prices, so both could be in D. (£20K difference between top and bottom of bands)

morrison106

Hi, please accept my apols if I have posted on the wrong discussion area. I requested that my banding be reduced from a C to a B but was advised that i had timed out (claim not made within 6 months) and therefore my claim was not valid. I appealed and have since received notice of a hearing appeal to take place on 24/2/10. The letter states that I either need to represent myslelf or someone else can do so on my behalf. Problem is, I have been to 3 solicitors and not one of them were able to help. Has anyone else reached this stage and, if so, what did you do? Any advice would be appreciated as I;d rather not represent myself.

lincroft1710

Morrison - the hearing will only be concerned with the validity of the appeal (i.e. was it submitted in time) not the banding. As you admit you appealed outside 6 months time limit the Tribunal will almost definitely rule your appeal as invalid (i.e. not valid), they have little alternative as the law on submission of Council Tax appeals is very specific. Not knowing there was a 6 month time limit is no defence and will not be accepted as a reason to validate the appeal.

Solicitors have very little knowledge of Council Tax, it isn't something they get involved with. Most taxpayers represent themselves, only occasionally will they instruct a chartered surveyor (who is the most qualified expert in these matters but will not come cheap, he could be hanging round at the hearing for 2 hrs waiting for appeal to be heard). In your case it would be a complete waste of money to be represented.

Whatever the outcome of the hearing the VOA will still investigate the appeal, but if it is invalid then the VOA's decision is final.

Zebedeee

morrison106 - as lincroft says those tribunals are only to establish whether you have a right to an appeal, which if you are outside the 6 months technically you do not.

However, do not despair. There are lots of us on here who challenged our band outside of the 6 months and (eventually) won. I must warn you it is not an easy process. You need to be very sure that based on comparisons with simillar properties to yours you are in the wrong band. If you can, collect evidence from 1991 of house prices. Go to your local library and take copies of property papers from 1991 of house prices like yours. Then go online to the VOA website and look up decisions of tribunals in your area. If you can find a propery like yours which got a rebanding in a tribunal within the last 6 months you can use that to demand a revaluation tribunal. You might be lucky and find one on there straight away, or you may have to wait. Don't expect to do this in a hurry!

I didn't use a solicitor as you are likely to spend a fortune and they know no more about it than you. This forum is excellent for advice and looking up the tribunals website and reading through other peoples cases and decisions will really tell you what you need to know. Employing any professional would be costly and to be honest, who cares most about whether you win or not? An overpaid professional or you? If you have sufficient good evidence and really want to win you can do it yourself.

swank1982

Hi.

I moved into my house in JUly 2007, when the Tax band was raised from D to an E. The increase was due an extension adding a bedroom and bathroom. This I cannot argue with. It is difficult to evaluate the value of my house compared to the others in my street as it is an ex police detached house amongst semi-detached barn style houses. However directly behind my property are equally sized/shaped ex-police houses in a different road. These are in band B, the value of which would have been the same as mine in 1991.

I was just wondering what other's thoughts would be on a successful challenge, I understand that an assessment could increase the banding further. If it is put in a higher band do you have to pay back the council the difference if you are banded higher?

thanks