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

elliott933

Hi,
Thanks for this very helpful thread. I’m after some advice: I live in a band D 2 bed bungalow surrounded by bigger 3 and 4 bed houses that are all in band C. I asked the VOA to investigate, which they did. After 2 months they told me that my band is correct and can’t compare with my neighbours because they are houses and mine is a bungalow. Okay, so that means that my immediate neighbour, a 3-bed band C detached house, was worth less than my similar age, smaller bungalow in 1991? That doesn’t make sense to me. By the way the only other bungalow in our street (further away) is also band D but is bigger than ours (a 3-bed). All this doesn’t seem correct. Any suggestions? Thanks!

lincroft1710

elliott933 wrote: »

so that means that my immediate neighbour, a 3-bed band C detached house, was worth less than my similar age, smaller bungalow in 1991? That doesn’t make sense to me.

Check current sale prices of bungalows and houses, you may be surprised, and the percentage differential will be virtually the same as in 1991

By the way the only other bungalow in our street (further away) is also band D but is bigger than ours (a 3-bed). All this doesn’t seem correct. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Try and find a similar size 2 bed bungalow in Band C in the neighbourhood.

londonuk2008

lincroft1710 wrote: »

I never, ever came across a case where a band reduction was not backdated, unless there had been a recent change to property or surroundings.

My advice would be appeal and go to Tribunal, as VOA will have to explain their reasoning to the Tribunal.

Well to update, I have finally recieved a response from the VOA - who have agreed after my appeal the band will be backdated to when I moved in, 2007. Success!!!

What happens now - do I have to notify the council and ask for a refund of backdated overpayments?

lincroft1710

londonuk2008 wrote: »

Well to update, I have finally recieved a response from the VOA - who have agreed after my appeal the band will be backdated to when I moved in, 2007. Success!!!

What happens now - do I have to notify the council and ask for a refund of backdated overpayments?

The VOA will amend the date and usually the council are automatically notified and consequently should refund you. Bearing in mind the time of year, this may not happen for some weeks.

gazluv

Hi peeps,

I challenged my mum and dad's banding as, apart from 4 larger neighboring properties who share their band (they all have detached garages, my parents house doesn't) all other properties in the street and the next almost identically housed street are a band or two lower.
It has now gone to a tribunal as six months has elapsed since they moved in (1973).
After further investigation their tax band was increased in 1995 due to an extension, from the original, to the present band.... can they do this as i have read it can only be increased due to a 'relevant transaction'.

Sorry to repeat older posts if i have, although repeating myself is a common thing nowadays.

Thanks,

Gaz.

lincroft1710

gazluv wrote: »

Hi peeps,

I challenged my mum and dad's banding as, apart from 4 larger neighboring properties who share their band (they all have detached garages, my parents house doesn't) all other properties in the street and the next almost identically housed street are a band or two lower.
It has now gone to a tribunal as six months has elapsed since they moved in (1973).
After further investigation their tax band was increased in 1995 due to an extension, from the original, to the present band.... can they do this as i have read it can only be increased due to a 'relevant transaction'.

Sorry to repeat older posts if i have, although repeating myself is a common thing nowadays.

Thanks,

Gaz.

The above is a little confusing.

As your parents have lived in the house for more than 6 months, any tribunal hearing will only be to determine the validity of the appeal. The Tribunal will have little alternative but to dismiss thre appeal as invalid.

CT bands can be amended at any time if it is considered that the current band is incorrect. If a pre Apr 1993 extension was not reflected when the original band was applied, CT legislation permits the band to be increased in such circumstances.

gazluv

Thanks lincroft1710 for the reply, sorry for the confusion...this is far from my area of expertise...

My parents had an extension built in 1995, the property then seems to have had its band increased. I can understand if something was overlooked in the original CT valuations, but they have had their CT band changed after alterations, many many neighbours have had much bigger works carried out (one property is nearly twice the sq ft footprint of my parents) and still show a lower band in CT.

On 1 Jan 1995 the CT band changed upwards from the 1993 original after a valuation tribunal. The property has a Court code C on its valuation list.

Does this information make my parents situation any clearer?.

Gaz.

lincroft1710

gazluv wrote: »

Thanks lincroft1710 for the reply, sorry for the confusion...this is far from my area of expertise...

My parents had an extension built in 1995, the property then seems to have had its band increased. I can understand if something was overlooked in the original CT valuations, but they have had their CT band changed after alterations, many many neighbours have had much bigger works carried out (one property is nearly twice the sq ft footprint of my parents) and still show a lower band in CT.

On 1 Jan 1995 the CT band changed upwards from the 1993 original after a valuation tribunal. The property has a Court code C on its valuation list.

Does this information make my parents situation any clearer?.

Gaz.

If the band was changed on 1 Jan 1995, then surely this would pre-date the extension? Are you sure it wasn't reduced as VTs don't usually increase bands, although they may confirm a band increase made by the VOA.

Leodogger

elliott933 wrote: »

Hi,
Thanks for this very helpful thread. I’m after some advice: I live in a band D 2 bed bungalow surrounded by bigger 3 and 4 bed houses that are all in band C. I asked the VOA to investigate, which they did. After 2 months they told me that my band is correct and can’t compare with my neighbours because they are houses and mine is a bungalow. Okay, so that means that my immediate neighbour, a 3-bed band C detached house, was worth less than my similar age, smaller bungalow in 1991? That doesn’t make sense to me. By the way the only other bungalow in our street (further away) is also band D but is bigger than ours (a 3-bed). All this doesn’t seem correct. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I have just had a similar experience. I appealed by council tax band after working out what my bungalow was worth in 1991 starting with what we paid for it in October (on Nationwide House Price Calculator we bsite) and also finding out that my next door neighbour is in a band lower though exactly the same property, plus there are 3 bed, 2 living room, garaged houses opposite me that sell for far higher prices than our little 2 bed, 1 living room, no garage bungalow and there is even a 4 bed up the road which sold for £274,000 in 2008 which is in the same band as ours.

We have received a letter saying we are in the correct tax band and so I rang them to ask how come. They said first of all they don't use "House Price Calculators to work out the value of houses in 1991 from their sold prices but get the info from solicitors when properties are sold. They said that they cannot comment on properties larger than ours but in the same tax band that have been sold for higher prices than our bungalow as this is against data protection, yet as I say they said they get the info to calculate Tax Bands from solicitors when properties are sold so what happened to our data protection on our property! I think this is a load of hogwash and wait for someone to confirm this to me, however all they came up with was vague excuses of why larger houses in the same street with higher values were in the same tax band as us, but no specific reason why they should not be in a higher tax band. They also said it works in the opposite direction, if people decrease the size of their property and so the value of it, they can appeal the council tax band and get it reduced! When I asked how many they had done during the last 12 months, all they said was "you would be surprised, quite a few" :rotfl:. They also said when I asked specifically about the next door neighbour who is in a lower tax band and this had been omitted in their letter quoting examples of properties the same as ours and in the same tax band, the reason it was left off the letter might be that it is being re-evaluated and rebanded (I bet they will thank us for that if they find out!). :eek:

They said we could take it to a tribunal if we want, but is it worth it ?

lincroft1710

JWhite wrote: »

They said first of all they don't use "House Price Calculators to work out the value of houses in 1991 from their sold prices but get the info from solicitors when properties are sold. They said that they cannot comment on properties larger than ours but in the same tax band that have been sold for higher prices than our bungalow as this is against data protection, yet as I say they said they get the info to calculate Tax Bands from solicitors when properties are sold so what happened to our data protection on our property! I think this is a load of hogwash

No. This is correct. Until an appeal is listed for a tribunal hearing, the VOA cannot disclose prices of comparable dwellings. House prices from 1994 onwards are in the public domain.

and wait for someone to confirm this to me, however all they came up with was vague excuses of why larger houses in the same street with higher values were in the same tax band as us, but no specific reason why they should not be in a higher tax band.

They also said when I asked specifically about the next door neighbour who is in a lower tax band and this had been omitted in their letter quoting examples of properties the same as ours and in the same tax band, the reason it was left off the letter might be that it is being re-evaluated and rebanded (I bet they will thank us for that if they find out!).

They said we could take it to a tribunal if we want, but is it worth it ?

If you're happy to accept the VOA's explanation, don't go to tribunal. If you're not,go.