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

simoncarrington

I have just received a letter from a different council to say that I am in credit by £388 from the house I moved from in Feb 2010. This is the first letter I have received about this, yet it still says the standard "this letter is for information and I do not have to do anything" - Like hell I dont!!!

I am going to write a stern letter to them demanding a refund, and was wondering if I can claim interest for the 26 months that they have had my money and not returned this. Even though they clearly have my new address to send this letter to and hence a cheque?

Any one? :mad:

Thanks for your help.

lincroft1710

simoncarrington wrote: »

Even though they clearly have my new address to send this letter to and hence a cheque?

Yes, but did you inform them of your new address when you moved in 2010? Your post reads as if you were unaware you had overpaid your CT bill at the old house.

Councils have no legal obligation to pay interest on any CT overpayment refund and will refuse to do so. They could be criticised by auditors if they did pay interest.

cifpower

We moved into our house in August 2010. The council tax is Band C which we didn't believe to be that excessive. Or old house was a terraced at band A. Last month I read the section on rebanding so went onto the directgov website to check surrounding houses. On our street only 4 houses are Band C - ours and our three neighbours. Every other house is Band B.

I called Birmingham VOA and after a chat he said he would open a case. I received a letter saying the reasoning seem valid and that an assessor will look at the case and they have a a working timescale of 2 months.

I checked the Nationwide price checking tool and depending on which recent selling price I take we are either B or C but it is curious how only 4 houses are Band C!

I await the decision with interest.

Kateandrob

Hi there
I moved in to my new build in 2010 and my house was banded 7 months later.
I did not notice until I read on here re incorrect banding.

I looked on the street banding and all the 2 bedroomed properties (like mine) are a band B but are rented from the HA.

The part and part houses were banded at a band ?

I noticed that as I live on a corner plot I have slightly more externally but upon looking most of the properties have large gardens etc (rear) mine is small

The VOA seem to think that I have 18 square metres more externally than my neighbour opposite and they only have, at most 5 square metres externally (from internal to external)

Now I'm now surveyor but I can see with my eyes that just their front garden is larger than 5 alone, let alone their back.

The VOA say mine is far bigger.

The area i live in is not great and I look right in to neighbours bedrooms.

I also checked on the property checker and I was banded a b.
The VOA told me they valued my property at a C even though if this house had been built in 1991 it would have been banded a B as the price I paid for it brand new does reflect my band.

Confused!

Now the HA want to charge me for measurements and not supply them.

The neighbours properties were build and banded a year before mine

jeannette22

I'm in the process of applying to the Valuation Office to have my Council Tax reassessed. I'm clearly in the wrong band (one higher than all my neighours) but have been in the house over 10 yrs. One of the listed criteria is to make the application within 6 months of moving in. However on this website no mention is made of this. Am I wasting my time by applying?

lincroft1710

The rules are far from "guidelines". Council Tax law is quite specific about when a proposal for a lower CT band can be made.

Although a request for a CT band review can be made at any time if the request is made outside the 6 month time limit and the VOA say no, then there is no right to a determination by an independent tribunal. A request for rebanding should be accompanied by evidence which would support a lower band.

Posts on this thread suggest that where a band review is sought outside the 6 month time limit, the VOA do not always put so much effort into investigating as they would if it were within the 6 months.

suejb2

You can ask for a "review" of your band anytime,by my understanding.

legobaby

Is there a link between council tax rates & water rates? Presumably the
water rates vary in accordance with banding of the property. If this is so is there not a case for refunds to be claimed on water rates as well as
council tax. Has any one any experience of this ?

legobaby

jeannette22 wrote: »

I'm in the process of applying to the Valuation Office to have my Council Tax reassessed. I'm clearly in the wrong band (one higher than all my neighours) but have been in the house over 10 yrs. One of the listed criteria is to make the application within 6 months of moving in. However on this website no mention is made of this. Am I wasting my time by applying?

I have just sucessfuly reclaimed council tax on my property which I have been living in since 1979, go for it, just follow
the process step by step, it realy is simple.

lincroft1710

legobaby wrote: »

Is there a link between council tax rates & water rates? Presumably the
water rates vary in accordance with banding of the property. If this is so is there not a case for refunds to be claimed on water rates as well as
council tax. Has any one any experience of this ?

If you are in England or Wales, the answer is there is absolutely no connection between water rates and CT. Water rates are based on Rateable Values which were used up until the old rating system was abolished in 1990.

In Scotland, I understand the CT payment includes water charges, but I don't know how these are calculated.