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

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Hi folks, i've just moved into a new place with Band G council tax :eek:

Anyway having looked at Martin's article I am 50/50 over whether to apply for a revaluation.

The house was purchased for £382,000 which back to 1991 from the Nationwide site would make it worth £120,000. That would put me at the very top of band E.

I can't really do the neighbour check as the other properties around us are all smaller and so on B's and C's.

Would it be worth challanging? Surely the worst that could happen is they say "no, you're on the right band".... I know its possible they could up us to Band H but the valuation tool calculating £120k and Band H being £320k, surely that is a miniscule chance?

lincroft1710

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

Would it be worth challanging?

Definitely worth challenging. You may end up with Band F, but even that's better than G.

SBholwell

Hi - I just received my council tax bill with a Band G. When I look at my neighbours they are generally lower F or below. The houses are all different so not entirely unexpected. Looking at my neighbour she is band F and a four bedroom house as am I but I can't find any sale details. My hext door but one neighbour is band F too has five bedrooms a current valuation of nearly 200k more than me. I know my property sold for 169k in 1996 so on the edge of G at that time. If I use various calculators I am sometimes in but other times out of band G. It seems to me 50/50 as to whether I am in the wrong band or my band F neighbour.

It seems unlikely to me that if we sold at 169k in 1996 that the house was valued at more than 160k in 1991.

I feel like I could claim but don't want to get my neighbour upgraded although I have never met them. It's a long road and the way the houses and gardens are laid out I have literally never seen them.

Any views greatly appreciated.

lincroft1710

SBholwell wrote: »

Any views greatly appreciated.

If the CT band of another house is increased in the process of re-determining your band, it is not your fault. If you want to appeal your band go ahead.

thechancellor

Hi
I'm in Band E but think it should be Band D based on the 1987 purchase price, the evaluation at 1 April 1991 and the fact that there are similar properties in the area on Band D. I submitted a 'proposal' to the Assessors office with this information and stated that the effective date of any change should be from 1 April 1993.
I've now received a reply stating my 'proposal' is invalid as it was not made within the period laid down in statute - the 6 month rule. He then states that I can appeal his decision within 4 weeks but I don't know if I have any grounds for doing so. However he has offered to inspect my property (without prejudice to the above) to check the banding.
Should I be appealing at this stage or just let the banding check go ahead?

lincroft1710

thechancellor wrote: »

Hi
However he has offered to inspect my property (without prejudice to the above) to check the banding.
Should I be appealing at this stage or just let the banding check go ahead?

You have no grounds on which to appeal invalidity so just let the banding check go ahead.

Geoff_Howard

Having just received my notification for the forthcoming year, I decided to check my banding following the announcement by Plaid Cymru that they would be reassessing all valuations if they came into power. In doing this I discovered I am the only property in my Post Code in band B while all others are band A (apart from one, a nursing home banded I). After contacting the VOA I was advised that if I challenged my banding I could end up paying more, any advice would be appreciated.

lincroft1710

Geoff_Howard wrote: »

following the announcement by Plaid Cymru that they would be reassessing all valuations if they came into power. Will the CT payers of Wales be paying more or less after PC's reassessments?

In doing this I discovered I am the only property in my Post Code in band B while all others are band A

But are the Band A properties the same as yours? That is far more relevant than your postcode

HitmanAgent47

I little advice on the council tax. I did the check on my neighbours house prices (they are in the same band B and one bedroom like me) and the house prices where higher, properly because they have gardens etc. and I don't.

I bought the house in July 2011 for £120, 000 and there is no record of what the previous owner bought it for. :shocked:. The nationwide property valuer says I should be Band A and a few other sites does as well. Do you think its worth challenging? I got the house cheap because it was a fixer upper, but my mortgage company value it at £156, 654 putting me in Band B.

Also if I do challenge what would I put in the "Why do you think the Council Tax band is wrong?" box on the challenge form?

Thank You in advance for any help.

lincroft1710

HitmanAgent47 wrote: »

Do you think its worth challenging? I got the house cheap because it was a fixer upper,

Houses have to be valued on the basis that they are in good repair, so your purchase price will be of little use in trying to find a 1991 value using house price indices.

As the other 1 beds are Band B, you could only really ask for a review on the basis you don't have a garden, but you'll probably get a reply saying a lack of garden in a 1 bed property will not make a difference in value.