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

smilee2106

The 90K valuation was done for BOS who have agreed a mortgage based on that valuation. The higher amount thru Nationwide is thru their own website. I've also noticed Zoopla seems to give enhanced value levels compared to actual valuations. So I guess we just sit with the band C.

lincroft1710

From experience NW valuation estimates are usually 10% inaccurate, the worst I have come across was 25%.

But dropping from £112K to £90K in 10 years seems quite a lot. On reflection £112K in 2004 would suggest a Band B rather than Band C.

smilee2106

lol, well NW online is like £139 and when we spoke with them initially they had the house on their system about £131, absolutely ridiculous considering the actual valuation and the property sales in the area; when they actually occur. Next door is offers over £84,995 and has been on the market for almost 2 years; only just had an Under Offer sticker added.

Looking at Zoopla, it says average sales prices for terraced houses on this street are appx £92K and yet has ours valued at £137,445 according to them!! Who do you believe? :mad:

How are you basing the tax band on band B? I tried following the steps on MSE, but given our area, it is rather confusing. If this were correct, then wouldn't that apply to all 5 terraced houses (100-108)?

lincroft1710

When I worked in the VOA, from memory, we found 2004 prices were around 2.5 times those of 1991, but this probably won't be the same for all areas.

BTW Zoopla isn't 100% accurate either. But where have NW got their figures from??

Surely something must have happened in the area for house prices to have dropped so much.

smilee2106

lol, i reckon its just due to the market bottoming out! i have no idea how NW come up with their figures, just that the local firm used by BOS came back with £90K which seems to fit the area. i think prices were highly elevated back in 2004 when my bf bought the house.

tenerife1

I applied to Glasgow council to get my mothers band lowered they said I could not, she would have to apply. when she did they said she only had two week to apply and have missed it since I applied. but if I can't apply the 2 week clock should not be ticking. she appealed and they said no this is right . no at final stage and they said she has to attend meeting. but cannot so they will throw out case. the info I have to reduce band is good that's why they are playing around with us I had house valued a year before rates were set in 1991 and since this valuation one year later their price is 110% more than the valuation. so if house prices went up by that amount in one year it would be in the press

lincroft1710

tenerife1 wrote: »

I applied to Glasgow council to get my mothers band lowered they said I could not, she would have to apply. when she did they said she only had two week to apply and have missed it since I applied. but if I can't apply the 2 week clock should not be ticking. she appealed and they said no this is right . no at final stage and they said she has to attend meeting. but cannot so they will throw out case. the info I have to reduce band is good that's why they are playing around with us I had house valued a year before rates were set in 1991 and since this valuation one year later their price is 110% more than the valuation. so if house prices went up by that amount in one year it would be in the press

If she lived in the house in 1990, then she is about 20 years out of time to make appeal, rather than 2 weeks. I think the appeal may be on validity, i.e. the appeal was not made in time, so it won't be about the CT band.

What was the purpose of the valuation you had done, was the house in good condition at the time of the valuation?

laferret

Ok, this is the begining of the journey for me.
I've just requested the VOA investigate us being on the wrong band. We are band B currently. We've lived here since 2001 so cross your fingers this goes our way and we get a refund.
First issue: We are very rural, semi-detached and the nearest village in our postcode is over 2 miles away. The nice lady at the VOA said that "2 miles" is the threshold for other similar properties as she merrily did a search for Band A comparison properties around our postcode. She found a few that are right on the limit in terms of distance. After I got off the phone I found some more in the opposite direction across the border into Notts.
I was told I should expect a call from the officer tomorrow morning so I have armed myself with more evidence and will post again with the results of the chat.

ashleymason

I bought a house in Wolverhampton in 2007, right before the market crashed. I paid £123,495.
Because of that price, my council tax band was set at Band B. When checking the history of the address at the VOA, the previous house with our address, which was demolished and this new development raised, was in Band A, and was a much larger former-authority-type house. We have a new, much much smaller end terrace, not a large semi detached. We have all of the ECO features that the council insisted were built in.

My question comes from the value. as we bought before the market crash, and our property is now only worth around £91,100, which valuation will the VOA use? today's value, which puts it firmly in Band A, or our purchase price, which keeps it in Band B? I'm not fussed about any rebate, but I can't see why a smaller property exhibits higher council tax?

lincroft1710

ashleymason wrote: »

which valuation will the VOA use? today's value, which puts it firmly in Band A, or our purchase price, which keeps it in Band B? I'm not fussed about any rebate, but I can't see why a smaller property exhibits higher council tax?

The VOA should look at what price a house of a similar type and size in the area was achieving in 1991, rather than use house price indices, which are far from accurate.

As the old house was demolished there is a possibility it could have been of inferior construction, e.g. an "Airey" house, which would be Band A because it is extremely difficult to obtain a mortgage on such a house.