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

superflygal

Hi folks, further to my initial post about the VOA changing my band back after a year's reduction, I am now being billed for back pay of council tax back to march. £172 a month over the months I don't normally pay. GREAT! Ideal after Christmas (not). I would have thought given the increase is under dispute (again) that the CT department would hold on the charges until the matter is concluded.

That is common sense. Something Council Departments use erratically and at times non-existently.

Interestingly, I have the original paperwork and the original person who agreed the reduction is dealing with my complaint against the increase.

SFG x

CIS

That is common sense. Something Council Departments use erratically and at times non-existently.

Until such time as the council are advised otherwise the current band is correct as far as council tax legislation is concerned and they will continue to use this band until then and recover any council tax in line with legislation.

lincroft1710

superflygal wrote: »

Interestingly, I have the original paperwork and the original person who agreed the reduction is dealing with my complaint against the increase.

Not unusual. One person will probably deal with CT appeals in the same geographical area for several years.

I would endorse CIS's reply to the other part of your post.

Pattielabelle

Advice required please.

We were the last people to purchase a new build property earlier this year on a small development in the South West. Our house is in council tax band F. The other houses of a same or similar size are banded the same as ours, and I'm aware of one neighbour with a smaller house who's successfully appealed from band D to C.

Our initial thoughts were that our banding was too high. After viewing Martin Lewis talking about council tax banding, I decided to look into the 1991 valuations.

If I've understood this thing correctly, not only what we paid for it but the original selling price which was considerably more, are both well within the 1991 E banding. However, if it is such an open and shut case I don't understand why it was misbanded in the first place.

So, does anyone think we have a good case to appeal - or not?

lincroft1710

Pattielabelle wrote: »

So, does anyone think we have a good case to appeal - or not?

Agreed you have a case, but not necessarily a good one. House price indices are only a guide and from experience tend to undervalue 1991 prices by around 10%.

It is worth pursuing, because even if you do and there's no reduction, well, you tried. If you don't, no reduction, even if one was merited.

Loobeylou

Pattielabelle wrote: »

Advice required please.

We were the last people to purchase a new build property earlier this year on a small development in the South West. Our house is in council tax band F. The other houses of a same or similar size are banded the same as ours, and I'm aware of one neighbour with a smaller house who's successfully appealed from band D to C.

Our initial thoughts were that our banding was too high. After viewing Martin Lewis talking about council tax banding, I decided to look into the 1991 valuations.

If I've understood this thing correctly, not only what we paid for it but the original selling price which was considerably more, are both well within the 1991 E banding. However, if it is such an open and shut case I don't understand why it was misbanded in the first place.

So, does anyone think we have a good case to appeal - or not?

Anyone else have any views on this please?

adhara

What's the general consensus about rebanding an old new build ?
I'm hoping to purchase a flat next year, and I honestly think that the entire block's council band range is too high, due to the ridiculous new build prices they originally went for back in 2002/2003.

Therefore it doesn't pass the neighbour check, but it does pass the estimate check by 2 bands - is it worth trying?

Chimaera

I'll apologise in advance if this appears to be off topic, but bear with me it isn't in the end! My husband and I purchased a Band C property last year which included accommodation for my Mum as we are her carers. Her accommodation had a business exemption as it had previously been let as holiday accommodation and wanting to do the right thing I contacted the local council to ask what we should be paying on her part. The upshot was she was banded as A and we were rebanded to E!

We were obviously unhappy with this so submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to find the basis of the increased banding (we were told due to Data Protection we couldn't be given the information, and property evidence was given for properties miles away from us) so we then put in a 'proposal' and were told the new bandings were right. We then asked for the qualifications of those involved in the rebanding - would you believe they don't have any? They are not RICS, ARICS, don't go on any training courses, aren't former estate agents, nothing. Indeed the individual that called us tried to justify their assessment of our property on the basis that they had bought and sold two properties in our area!

We are now going to Tribunal, but for all of you who have had a rebanding rejected have you ever asked on what grounds and what qualifications were held by the person to make an assessment of your property which effectively results in a financial impact on you through taxation. What transparency is there in this process?

lincroft1710

Chimaera wrote: »

We are now going to Tribunal, but for all of you who have had a rebanding rejected have you ever asked on what grounds and what qualifications were held by the person to make an assessment of your property which effectively results in a financial impact on you through taxation. What transparency is there in this process?

You do not need RICS qualifications to look at house prices on a computer!

Although in the initial banding exercise in 1992/3, current and former estate agents together with existing RICS qualified VOA staff were used, since about 1995 virtually all VOA staff who have dealt with CT banding and appeals have no qualification.

It would be far too costly and a waste of resources to use RICS or even IRRV qualified staff on CT appeals. All you have to do is look at the details of the appeal dwelling, size, age, type, location, then look on a computer to see what prices these dwellings were achieving in 1991. There will also be details of previous appeals to help in deciding the correct band.

It is Parliament who prevent the VOA from disclosing 1991 sales details, except at or shortly before a tribunal. The sales information supplied to the VOA has been in confidence since 1910. When CT was introduced Parliament relaxed the rules very slightly and allowed disclosure as above.

Although many house prices are now in the public domain. Parliament has not authorised wholesale disclosure and so the anomaly remains.

lincroft1710

adhara wrote: »

What's the general consensus about rebanding an old new build ?
I'm hoping to purchase a flat next year, and I honestly think that the entire block's council band range is too high, due to the ridiculous new build prices they originally went for back in 2002/2003.

Therefore it doesn't pass the neighbour check, but it does pass the estimate check by 2 bands - is it worth trying?

No guarantees obviously, but nothing to lose by trying.