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

lincroft1710

Dans_Girl wrote: »

Council Tax band reductions and refunds are now limited to the last 6 years. Came in to force in Wales on 1st April this year.

Which is very coincidental for Wales as their Council Tax List is now 6 years old.

VJ_

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Yes, appeal the band as soon as you have purchased.

Thanks, yet another thing to put on my FTB todo list...:)

liesl1976

Hi everyone

Does anyone know if it's possible to claim back council tax on a property you no longer own?
We moved 3 years ago from a 3 bed detached (band E) to a 4 bed detached with integral garage which is also band E. I've only just come across this thread and checked the band of the neighbours houses where we used to live, and our house was the only 3 bed amongst larger 4 beds but all were classified in Band E. The property price valuator shows our property to be in a Band D valuation back in 1991.
I'm probably onto nothing, but it would be nice to know if we overpaid and would maybe be entitled to a rrebate.
Many thanks

lincroft1710

liesl1976 wrote: »

Hi everyone

Does anyone know if it's possible to claim back council tax on a property you no longer own?

No, you cannot ask for a CT band reduction as you no longer own or occupy the house. You will have to contact current occupier and ask them if they would be prepared to ask for a band review.

roar349

Spoke to the VOA last week. They're investigating my claim as a couple of houses with similar square footage are on a lower band, not too hopeful but we'll see.

CillDara59

Hi
After reading the Council Tax Rebanding article I checked the VOA website and found that our house is band G whereas most similar properties on our street are in band F.
The VOA site shows the house was rebanded from F to G in June 2002 which is when we bought the house.
On looking further I found the following on the council website ...
"All domestic properties in Ealing have been valued and placed into one of eight bands A to H according to its open market capital value at 1 April 1991
The valuations were carried out by the Valuation Office Agency, not by the council, and remain fixed until the property is sold."
So it would appear that individual properties are rebanded when they are sold. My question is whether this is legal and if there is any point in asking for a review.
It seems unfair to me that I am paying £300 a year more than my neighbours simply because I bought the property at a later date.

lincroft1710

CillDara59 wrote: »

Hi
"All domestic properties in Ealing have been valued and placed into one of eight bands A to H according to its open market capital value at 1 April 1991
The valuations were carried out by the Valuation Office Agency, not by the council, and remain fixed until the property is sold."
So it would appear that individual properties are rebanded when they are sold. My question is whether this is legal and if there is any point in asking for a review.
It seems unfair to me that I am paying £300 a year more than my neighbours simply because I bought the property at a later date.

The council website is slightly misleading on more than one point.

Firstly there was no need for them to put "in Ealing" in that first sentence as what follows applies to any house in England. Secondly properties are only rebanded when sold if the vendor has carried out any alterations which would cause the band to be increased. Homeowners can improve their properties but CT band won't be increased until that property is sold and there is no backdating so vendor won't get a bill for extra tax.

It is perfectly legal, the legislation has been in force since 1993. I think the fair alternative would be to increase the CT band when the alterations were completed as happened under the old domestic rating system, but Parliament decided it did not want to penalise homeowners for improving their homes. Had you bought a similar house at a similar price, chances are that it would already have been Band G.

Usually increasing the band after a sale is only done if the alterations put the house value well into the new band. Prior to alterations your home may well have been at the top of Band F. There is no harm in asking for a review, the only negative point would be if the VOA decided that your neighbours should also be in a Band G.

CillDara59

lincroft1710 wrote: »

... properties are only rebanded when sold if the vendor has carried out any alterations which would cause the band to be increased. Homeowners can improve their properties but CT band won't be increased until that property is sold and there is no backdating so vendor won't get a bill for extra tax.

... There is no harm in asking for a review, the only negative point would be if the VOA decided that your neighbours should also be in a Band G.

Thanks for that, very helpful.

I don't really want to cause all my neighbours CT to increase so I am wary about asking for a review. However your earlier statement that "Homeowners can improve their properties but CT band won't be increased until that property is sold" seems to imply that they are protected.
Is that not the case? Can the council increase their band even if the property is not being sold?

lincroft1710

The VOA can increase or reduce a CT band at any time. It cannot increase a band on account of structural alterations carried out by current owner on or after 1 April 1993. So if VOA found alterations carried out by current owner pre 1 Apr 93 or carried out by previous owner and not reflected in the band, or if a mistake was made in the original banding then the band can be increased.

So if any current owners carried out alterations on or after 1 Apr 93, their bands couldn't be increased on account of the alterations.

SPLEEN_3

Hi!

I have been re-banded down a band and am owed 3.5 years of over payment, this is all confirmed.

York Council have now, without asking me, reduced my council tax payments for the next year, instead of giving a refund as i asked for. After waiting a few weeks for a reply on this, they have emailed to tell me that '
Our policy is to reduce bills in banding reductions rather than refunding.'

I have replied telling them that i do not accept this and that i want a refund asap.

Does anyone have any advice on this issue please?

Do i have a right to a refund or are they entitled to just reduce my next years rate instead?

The reason i am insisting on a refund is that i do not trust the councils admin, they mess up a lot of stuff and i do not want to get into any issues over the next year, id just prefer it all paid back to me so its done without any room for error.

Many thanks for any help on this!!!

Dan