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

lincroft1710

Loulou, in most areas prices fell from 1991 to 1992, in the 18 months from Apr 1991 to Oct 1992, the fall was probably about 15%. Also semidetached houses are usually worth more than terraced, so I think there is little chance of the band being reduced.

Your neighbour also seeking a band reduction won't help your case, but it won't hinder it.

ikib

Do you know what I do if my house was built in 1993?, there are 20 houses in the close we live in, all in the same band but at the moment 2 [ours and next door] are different style and are worth 20-30,000 less than the rest.

lincroft1710

ikib wrote: »

Do you know what I do if my house was built in 1993?, there are 20 houses in the close we live in, all in the same band but at the moment 2 [ours and next door] are different style and are worth 20-30,000 less than the rest.

Even if your house is worth less than others in the close, it could still be in the same band. On a £500K house a £20K - £30K price difference is quite negligible.

If you have lived in the house less than 6 months you can appeal the band, if more than 6 months you can only ask for a band review.

CLAUDIA_TUCKER

Ive just been told by my local Valuation Office that they don't recognise the valuation calculators recommended on the MSE site as they are not sufficiently accurate!! - and that I'd need evidence of actual house sales figures to ask for banding to be reconsidered - has anyone else had the same problem

strawberryblonde

Hi All

I have just looked at Martin's advice about asking for reassessment of my council tax and just wanted to clarify something. If people living nearby in the same style house as me are on the same band, is it not worth asking for reassessment even if the valuation sites indicate that I should be in a lower band?

Many Thanks

lincroft1710

strawberryblonde wrote: »

Hi All

I have just looked at Martin's advice about asking for reassessment of my council tax and just wanted to clarify something. If people living nearby in the same style house as me are on the same band, is it not worth asking for reassessment even if the valuation sites indicate that I should be in a lower band?

Many Thanks

It is worth asking, but do remember 1) that house price indices are far from accurate, 2) VOA will probably say no, so you may have to look for similar houses in a lower band,

Stewart_78

I have just asked for my CT band to be assessed as I think it is incorrect. My house is a barn conversion but the planning permission only allows it to be a holiday let. It can only be occupied full time if you are related to the owners of the farmhouse next door. We took out a mortgage against it in 2007 and it was valued at £180k which is about half what it would be worth if it was fully residential. The farmhouse next door is band D and so are we. That house was recently valued at £440k. A cottage up the road is band C and must be worth at least double what my place is worth.

I used the calculators and it came back with low band C so I called them and explained. VOA have since written to tell me that I am in the right band and that they will now look at my neighbour up the road to see if he should be in a higher band. I honestly don't think that they took into account the reduction in value due to it being a holiday let. The letter says I can't appeal and have to go elsewhere. It also appears I may have just cost my neighbour a good deal of money if they raise his banding.

What is my next step with this? Is a mortgage valuation of any use? I still think I have a case as the first lady I spoke to said it was calculated on the pure value of your house, nothing else. They said the farmhouse might be in a lower band than it should as the agricultural tie devalues it but as I said it was recently valued at more than £400k and mine is probably still only half that so how can we be in the same band. I don't want to push that point with them in case they raise their band as well.

lincroft1710

Stewart

Your post is confusing - are you living there full time? If so are you related to the owners of the farm? If not then if you are in breach of pp, then it is probably too late for the council to act, so the planning conditions would no longer apply.

Stewart_78

I am related so I am allowed to live here full time but wouldn't be if they left, hence the reduction in value. It can be lived in essentially as an annex to the house or it can be a short term holiday let.

lincroft1710

An 8 year old mortgage valuation isn't going to be a great deal of help on its own. Combined with a copy of the planning permission restrictions it may persuade the VOA to reconsider. However the VOA may well counter that as the property has pp as a holiday let, on the open market its value is only minimally diminished.

If you own the property and your relatives move from the farmhouse would the council compulsorily purchase your house if you refused to move out? It is an unusual situation, normally houses with a similar restriction cannot be sold separately from the main house.