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

lincroft1710

JennyP wrote: »

We've been told by our local office that she can apply but as the previous occupier her application will go to the bottom of the pile and could take ages to deal with. We were also told that once she applies, we can't apply too*. That doesn't seem fair.

If we get chance, we will get onto it but it doesn't seem right that she can apply and prevent us from applying.

*I would be interested to know the regulation, Act of Parliament or Statutory Instrument which states that.

There is no prescribed right in law for a previous taxpayer to seek an alteration of a CT band, Therefore such a request would normally not be granted. I certainly would have told a previous taxpayer that I would only entertain a request for rebanding from current taxpayer.

There is a practical reason why a CT band should not be altered following representation by a person other than the current CT payer. If a band were altered (this can be an increase or decrease) following such representations then the current CT payer could appeal against the alteration. If this ended up at a Tribunal and the Tribunal decided that the original CT band was correct, then a lot of taxpayer's money has been wasted.


It would only take you about 10 minutes to send VOA an email asking them to investigate the band, which is probably less time then you've spent arguing with her.

lincroft1710

davideC wrote: »

Do I have any grounds to appeal to the decision because I did not ask for my house to be rebanded, nor was there any improvement made to the house by the previous owners?

Or is it that they can change any band on any house they like, just because of an appeal in the area?

You can appeal the rebanding within 6 months, but your suggested grounds of appeal are of no practical use. It seems there was a mistake in the original band and CT legislation does allow an incorrect band to be corrected at any time.

I would suggest you look at the bands of other similar houses in the area and see if you can find any in Bands D or E which you could quote as comparable.

JennyP

lincroft1710 wrote: »

*I would be interested to know the regulation, Act of Parliament or Statutory Instrument which states that.

I know...there seems so much contradictory information about!

lincroft1710 wrote: »

There is no prescribed right in law for a previous taxpayer to seek an alteration of a CT band

We think there shouldn't be. But our local office have told her she can apply.

lincroft1710 wrote: »

It would only take you about 10 minutes to send VOA an email asking them to investigate the band, which is probably less time then you've spent arguing with her.

We're worried about getting it wrong and then not being titled to apply again - we are definitely entitled to be paying less as an identical property to ours is in the lower band to us. Frightened of rushing it and screwing up. Our neighbours were unsuccessful in their application even though they seemingly had an equally watertight case. Just 3 houses in 20 paying the higher amount - all identical, terraced houses. It seems mad!

lincroft1710

JennyP wrote: »

We're worried about getting it wrong and then not being titled to apply again

Jenny, there's nothing to get wrong! Just state the facts, you're in one band, the other 17 houses are in a lower band, you want to be in the lower band. Don't mention the neighbour who didn't get the reduction. If VOA refer to this neighbour, then you ask why they didn't.

shimmeringsky

Anyone with any advice ? Please ?

I tried a couple of years ago to get my council tax rebanded, however I got a letter stating that they would not amend my banding. There are about 100 similar properties to mine in the road I live in with approx 20 of them being 1 band lower than mine, ( including my immediate neighbour )

It stated in the letter that the decision could not be appealed against so believed that I could not challenge this further and just left it.

I have again started looking into this since I got a letter today from a company 'claiming' that people in my road had successfully challenged their council tax band. As it has made me look at this out of interest again I have noticed that I could have actually gone to a tribunal which I had not been aware of at the time. Is there anything I can actually do again ???

I moved into the property in 1997 and the price I paid for the property was lower than the band C my property has been classed as being in.

lincroft1710

shimmering sky - the right to a tribunal hearing only applies if you made a valid proposal within 6 months of you first becoming the taxpayer of your home. As you bought your home in 1997 and asked for a band review "a couple of years ago" you would not be eligible for a tribunal hearing.

People in your road probably have successfully challenged their CT band. If you can find an identical house to yours in your road with a lower CT band, you can approach VOA and ask if they would review their decision in light of this evidence.

BTW in my area 1997 house prices were only starting to reach 1991 levels. For some areas and house types it was 1998/9 before house prices reached 1991 levels.

shimmeringsky

lincroft1710 wrote: »

shimmering sky - the right to a tribunal hearing only applies if you made a valid proposal within 6 months of you first becoming the taxpayer of your home. As you bought your home in 1997 and asked for a band review "a couple of years ago" you would not be eligible for a tribunal hearing.

People in your road probably have successfully challenged their CT band. If you can find an identical house to yours in your road with a lower CT band, you can approach VOA and ask if they would review their decision in light of this evidence.

BTW in my area 1997 house prices were only starting to reach 1991 levels. For some areas and house types it was 1998/9 before house prices reached 1991 levels.

Thanks for the advice. Next doors property is identical other than being the different side of a semi:( ! However since i originally challenged and looking at the amount in the road on the lower band now, i am convinced there must have been some successes. ( is there any way i can find this out ?? ) Fingers crossed I will give it another go. I was told last time ( when rejected ) my neighbour had been incorrectly banded but theirs would not be increased until a full c/tax review took place.

lincroft1710

shimmeringsky wrote: »

I was told last time ( when rejected ) my neighbour had been incorrectly banded but theirs would not be increased until a full c/tax review took place.

This may be correct, it is not unknown.

Use http://www.voa.gov.uk/cti/InitS.asp?lcn=0 to check if CT bands of neighbours have been altered. You can check the history of the CT band by clicking on the address and then select band history.

barlov

Hello to everyone:
I would like to ask whether there are any reductions in the council tax for teachers. Someone told me that there are special reductions for them
I am a full-time teacher and I share a flat with two other people (office workers).
Many thanks for your advice.

lincroft1710

barlov wrote: »

Hello to everyone:
I would like to ask whether there are any reductions in the council tax for teachers. Someone told me that there are special reductions for them
I am a full-time teacher and I share a flat with two other people (office workers).
Many thanks for your advice.

If you are a qualified teacher, there doesn't appear to be. If you are a student on an initial teacher training course which includes classroom based work experience then you may well be exempt from paying CT.