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

tonypaulhill

I followed the system to the letter ie. Did my comparables with other properties, went to the site and found the price of my house in 1991 etc etc. I sent a letter to the VOA and got no reply. 8 weeks later I contacted them and they had mislaid the letter rather appropriately. Long story short they disagreed with my findings telling me that the sites for house prices are not reliable and therefore I cannot even appeal the decision as there was no appeal process as the VOA officer decided this. Makes me proud to have served my country in the Army for over 10 years, to become a honest citizen and get ripped off!!!!!!

rickbonar

tonypaulhill wrote: »

I followed the system to the letter ie. Did my comparables with other properties, went to the site and found the price of my house in 1991 etc etc. I sent a letter to the VOA and got no reply. 8 weeks later I contacted them and they had mislaid the letter rather appropriately. Long story short they disagreed with my findings telling me that the sites for house prices are not reliable and therefore I cannot even appeal the decision as there was no appeal process as the VOA officer decided this. Makes me proud to have served my country in the Army for over 10 years, to become a honest citizen and get ripped off!!!!!!

Similar here regards property price via the 1991 etc.

I think the councils having been paying too many people back.. MSE site is a victim of it's own success in highlighting this, now some of the councils are playing dirty. Good old fashioned trusty sword of british justice re emerges. I don't know what you earned financially from the Army but I bet it's not near what half these council con men make.

They lose the letters and it times out .. ! can't say I'm surprised, these sneaky !!!!!!s can be craftier than the Taliban. Mostly to keep themselves in well paid positions.

lincroft1710

VOA is not part of nor connected to with any council, it is an Executive Agency of HMRC, so please don't accuse the council of any wrongdoing. Majority of VOA staff earn less than national average wage, HMRC are not a generous employer! Only the most senior of any council staff would get a good salary, most council staff again earn probably no more than national average.

It was parliament who decided that there would be a time limit on making CT appeals, not the VOA. House price index sites are inaccurate. I'm ex VOA and would often compare their estimates with actual sale prices of individual properties and the HPI inaccuracy was easily 10%. The worst case I came across, the HPI had undervalued the 1991 price by 25%.

As the VOA have details of all property sales, they should have 1991 sales evidence to support the band. Although you cannot see this evidence (parliament deemed it sensitive and unless there is an appeal, it cannot be disclosed, and yes I know it sounds stupid, but those are the rules!), you could ask the VOA if they have 1991 sales evidence of identical properties to yours or similar properties in the same or adjoining roads.

mydogoscar

I need help. I sent an e-mail to VOA to advise that I think my council tax banding is incorrect as ALL the houses in my area are the same style houses but ALL of them are a band B & I am a band A. The response I got was an INVALIDITY NOTICE. It says they will not lower the council tax banding as I become a tax payer over 6 months ago. It says I can appeal but I dont know what reason to gove to appeal? Can someone please advise?

lincroft1710

mydogoscar wrote: »

I need help. I sent an e-mail to VOA to advise that I think my council tax banding is incorrect as ALL the houses in my area are the same style houses but ALL of them are a band B & I am a band A. The response I got was an INVALIDITY NOTICE. It says they will not lower the council tax banding as I become a tax payer over 6 months ago. It says I can appeal but I dont know what reason to gove to appeal? Can someone please advise?

You are right you do need help!

Your house is in Band A and you want it increased to Band B?

If an appeal it is submitted outside the 6 months time limit, that appeal will automatically be logged as invalid and it is pointless appealing the invalidity as it cannot be made valid. However the band will be investigated and amended if it is found to be incorrect.

GPF

My Mother has recently had a call from a company who say they can guarantee to get tax back because they say it is in the wrong tax band.
Looking at the .gov site my parents house is one of 2 in the street which is a band C compared to the rest in band B. The street consists of 2 bed terraced & 2/3 bed semis (of which theirs is the only 3 bed ( & not extended to a 3 bed like the other).
How can a company guarantee that the band should be a B & not a C if the house has an extra bedroom compared to all the others?
Having spoke to the local Voa, they asked if the property has a garage, extension or outbuildings, should they not already know this information?
I understand the valuations were based on a "drive by" quote, if this is the case, their house would look the same as most of the others.
What are the chances of getting re-banded?

CIS

How can a company guarantee that the band should be a B & not a C if the house has an extra bedroom compared to all the others?

They can't. All these companies are interested in is the money they get from you and promise the earth to get your signature (I've dealt with them through my job and they way they act is sometimes appalling)

lincroft1710

GPF wrote: »

Having spoke to the local Voa, they asked if the property has a garage, extension or outbuildings, should they not already know this information?
I understand the valuations were based on a "drive by" quote, if this is the case, their house would look the same as most of the others.
What are the chances of getting re-banded?

VOA's records aren't always up to date and they can sometimes be inaccurate.

If your mother's house is a semi and the terraced are in a B, then the C may be correct, but it will all depend on what 1991 sales evidence shows.

ctax

Hi All,

I hope you can provide some assistance.

I recently purchased a newbuild house which was put in Band E by the local VOA. My (adjacent) neighbour who has exactly the same property took the Banding to Valuation Tribunal (VT) and was successful - he is now in Band D. I spoke with both the VT and VOA and both said that the 'norm' is for all identical/similar houses in the same vicinity to be re-classified automatically. The local VOA confirmed this to me initially. However, now they have said that they disagree with the position of the VT and that I would need to go through the process which will mean ultimately going to VT myself. It has been confirmed to me that if the VT finds in favour of the VOA, then me and the other neighbours who have the identical house in the same street could remain in Band E whereas my neighbour is in a Band D. Has anyone come across this scenario before and if yes, are the outcomes known - i.e. in whose favour did the VT rule?

I would appreciate any thoughts/assistance you can provide in my preparation for the VT.

Many thanks.

lincroft1710

I'm ex VOA. If the VOA disagree with the VT decision to that extent, then it seems as if the VT made a perverse decision. It is not unknown for the VOA to take this attitude but it is not a common occurrence.

Any case brought before a VT will be judged solely on the evidence presented by both VOA and taxpayer. VTs can choose to ignore the decision of a previous VT, but it is usually when the previous VT upheld the band.

I would suggest you go to the VT website and look at the details of the decision in respect of your neighbour's property. Also contact him and ask if you can see what evidence he put forward.