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

miffy93

lincroft1710 wrote: »

miffy 93 -

Dear Sir

COUNCIL TAX BAND: (your address)

My Council Tax Band is currently Band D but my neighbour at (their address) is Band C as are several other houses of the same type in the street. Would you please therefore check that my band is correct and if it is not would you please reduce it accordingly. I have been the occupier since 2000.

Yours Faithfully.

(your signature)

Thanks again :beer:

crelpwinkum

I bought a small, terraced 3 bed house 2 years ago, in an expensive area of the city. It's in band C, as are the other 3 bed houses in my street. Two of the bedrooms were so small (between 6 and 7 ft wide) that I had them knocked through to make one big bedroom. Would I have a case for being rebanded to a lower band, since other 2 bed houses in the street are in band B?

IsabelT

Can anyone help?

I live on a long un adopted road in SE Kent with mostly 4 bed detached house only a few semis, all the houses are different. We moved there in 1997 and paid £128,500 the property is a 4bed detached at the time of us buying I queried the band and someone came out to look and I believe the letter I received from the VOA stated as it need to updating once done they believed the house was in the right band.
Stupidly I did not take it any further.

I was looking on this site to find this forum and I have checked my Council Tax and the 4 bed detached around me are in Band F where I am a G!
I have gone through the VOA site to appeal stating that the price I paid in 1997 would make this house in an F band and also stated neighbouring properties all four bed detached in band F.

I have got a reply basically stating that they do not agree with a different valuation..and from reading some postings on the site it would seem that it a set type of letter.

1. The problem is that as there is no other property that’s the same as ours in the road, lots of four beds detached! Some bigger, some with smaller gardens, but all different.

2. I have looked on a site for its value in 1991 for the south east England it states £117,000 but when I have quoted that in my letter to VOA it has stated that “House price sites cover a wide geographical area so this is not accurate”

I have looked at the house prices sites for when I brought mine in 1997, to tried to do a comparison and houses that where brought for more money than mine in 1997 where in a band F (my way of thinking if they cost more they are bigger) some have 6 bedsrooms! I have got a list of them around me all lower banding than mine, but I feel that if I tell the VOA about these all they will say is that they where smaller properties and had extensions or they have appealed and had the banding lowered.

Also they are satisfied that mine is right and they will consider the banding of the others properties need to be increased..if that's the case nearly the whole road will have to be reviewed!

I have even gone to a local Estate agents to see if they have any old documentation on house sales in 1991, unfortunately not!

Can anyone give advice on what to do now? As I have left it once and don’t ant to do it again but am nervous of going to appeal.
I want to put as much evidence forward as possible but I restricted as I cannot get prices for 1991..what else can I do?

lincroft1710

IsabelT - As you have asked for a band reduction outside the 6 month time limit, there is no appeals procedure. If you completed an online proposal then that will not be valid and the VOA should have stated that your proposal was invalid. There is no point appealing against an invalid proposal if it was clearly out of time.

Although the VOA are correct in their attitude to House Price Indices, £117K is £43K below Band G minimum, and this indicates a 25% inaccuracy. I have come across this level of inaccuracy, but it was with Band B minimum value houses. 1997 was a pivotal year for house prices in some areas as they started reaching 1991 levels.

You can submit all the evidence you have gathered to the VOA. If it results in your neighbours' bands being increased, then I'm afraid that's a risk you'll have to take.

lincroft1710

crelpwinkum wrote: »

I bought a small, terraced 3 bed house 2 years ago, in an expensive area of the city. It's in band C, as are the other 3 bed houses in my street. Two of the bedrooms were so small (between 6 and 7 ft wide) that I had them knocked through to make one big bedroom. Would I have a case for being rebanded to a lower band, since other 2 bed houses in the street are in band B?

Possibly, if the other 2 bed houses are the same overall size. If they are smaller then Band C may be correct. Just ask for a rebanding and see what happens.

Tiffy1

I contacted VOA 7 weeks ago for rebanding and found out I was living in a 3 bed detached house, confusing as I have a 2 bed detached bungalow. Result I will be be receiving a cheque for £775 before Christmas. Try the system you may be supprised.:j

Suki1_2

I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice.
I have recently moved into a rented house, which is situated on farmland. There are only 2 other houses in the lane and I have noticed that both my neighbours are on Band E whereas I am on Band F. One house is identical to mine, the other is a bungalow. My landlord is the farmer and he built all 3 houses around 20 yrs ago, so they were never sold and no records of sales prices for any of the homes in my lane exist. I therefore would like to challenge my council tax banding on the grounds that both neighbours are on a lower banding. Do I stand a chance? And do I need to discuss this with my landlord first?

lincroft1710

If the other house (you can't use the bungalow as a comparison) is occupied by an agricultural worker or the farmer, then this could be the reason for the lower band. If so then the house will have been valued as a "composite property" as it is occupied in connection with the farm and the basis of valuation is different. The entry in the Valuation List for this house should have the letter C after the band. However if this was the case at one time but is no longer, then the band on this house is probably too low. It therefore may be advisable to speak to the landlord first.

Or it may just be simply that either your band is too high or the other house's band is too low.

suki1

Yes the house, which is identical to mine, is indeed occupied by the farm foreman and his family, there is no letter C marked next to the band entry though. I am sure I would not be very popular if it were found that their band is too low. So perhaps I should rather chat to the landlord first.

lincroft1710

It is not unknown for the "C" to be omitted in error, which is why I said "should". I agree that your first step should be to talk to the landlord.