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

tramper

Can anyone give me a little advice?

I've just successfully had my elderly mothers house rebanded from D to C. I am just awaiting the final confirmation letter regarding this but have been told by the valuations office that my appeal was successfully.

My question is - My parents have lived in the property since 1975 and I believe I have worked out that the property was worth around £45000 in 1991 which I again believe put it in band B?
I've made an initial phone call to seek advice to her local council tax office to find out if I can claim any over payment back to 1975 or even 1991. The lady I spoke to tells me that the maximum I can claim back is only for six years.

Does this sound correct or am I being told incorrect?

Hope someone can advice me.

lincroft1710

tramper wrote: »

Can anyone give me a little advice?

I've just successfully had my elderly mothers house rebanded from D to C. I am just awaiting the final confirmation letter regarding this but have been told by the valuations office that my appeal was successfully.

My question is - My parents have lived in the property since 1975 and I believe I have worked out that the property was worth around £45000 in 1991 which I again believe put it in band B?
I've made an initial phone call to seek advice to her local council tax office to find out if I can claim any over payment back to 1975 or even 1991. The lady I spoke to tells me that the maximum I can claim back is only for six years.

Does this sound correct or am I being told incorrect?

Hope someone can advice me.

Why have you posted this twice? Answered in your own thread.

Lulu58

I have a question to ask about Council Tax cutting relating our to our situation, but can't see how to post it (as opposed to answering someone else's post). Can anyone advise me?

lincroft1710

Lulu58 wrote: »

I have a question to ask about Council Tax cutting relating our to our situation, but can't see how to post it (as opposed to answering someone else's post). Can anyone advise me?

Just post the question as you did your previous post

Lulu58

We moved into a small close a couple of years ago and all the properties, including ours was in the same band. All the houses in our close are more or less the same size, bar one (which is also in the same band).

After we moved, we were advised that the property was moving to a higher band. When I asked why I was advised that it was because the previous owners had extended the kitchen and the house would automatically be moved to its 'correct' banding when the present incumbent sold the property. This seems highly immoral to me! Not only that, the extension isn't that big. They replaced the existing sheds and added a little bit on.

Is anyone aware of other councils doing this, and can they get away with it? Also, can I ask for the rating to revert to the previous one and, if so, on what grounds?

Our area is a real hotspot, with demand much greater than supply, so properties prices have gone through the roof. I'm worried that the whole close/area could be re-banded and they we would be very, very unpopular which isn't in our best interest. I've spoken to a couple of local estate agents who have been in the area for years and they advised that when the valuations were carried out, the town wasn't so popular. This was still the case when the extension was done, but it was on the rise to some extent. Both agents confirmed that they didn't feel the extension would have increased the price to any large extent at the time it was added, but they wouldn't put it in writing.

Many properties in the area are on the original band, and several have added extensions; many of which are bigger than the work the previous owners had done. However, because people don't tend to move, the property has stayed on the old band.

lincroft1710

Lulu58 wrote: »

We moved into a small close a couple of years ago and all the properties, including ours was in the same band. All the houses in our close are more or less the same size, bar one (which is also in the same band).

After we moved, we were advised that the property was moving to a higher band. When I asked why I was advised that it was because the previous owners had extended the kitchen and the house would automatically be moved to its 'correct' banding when the present incumbent sold the property. This seems highly immoral to me! Not only that, the extension isn't that big. They replaced the existing sheds and added a little bit on.

Is anyone aware of other councils doing this, and can they get away with it? Also, can I ask for the rating to revert to the previous one and, if so, on what grounds?

Our area is a real hotspot, with demand much greater than supply, so properties prices have gone through the roof. I'm worried that the whole close/area could be re-banded and they we would be very, very unpopular which isn't in our best interest. I've spoken to a couple of local estate agents who have been in the area for years and they advised that when the valuations were carried out, the town wasn't so popular. This was still the case when the extension was done, but it was on the rise to some extent. Both agents confirmed that they didn't feel the extension would have increased the price to any large extent at the time it was added, but they wouldn't put it in writing.

Many properties in the area are on the original band, and several have added extensions; many of which are bigger than the work the previous owners had done. However, because people don't tend to move, the property has stayed on the old band.

Council Tax law allows the current owner of a dwelling to extend or alter it without the CT band being increased. However upon the sale of the dwelling the band can be increased to reflect the work carried out by the previous owner. It is perfectly legal and moral and the enabling legislation pre-dates the introduction of CT

If you are in England or Wales the rebanding is carried out by the Valuation Office Agency (part of HMRC), in Scotland by the Assessor.

If 6 months have passed since you were notified of the band increase, you cannot appeal the increase. You can ask the VOA/Assessor to review the band but you would have to give reasons why you think the band should revert to what it was when you moved in. Quoting the houses where current occupiers have carried out alterations is not a reason. You would have to look for similar houses in a lower band unaltered by their current owners.

Valuations for CT have to reflect the prices and economic factors as at 1 April 1991 (Eng & Scot), 1 April 2003 (Wales), so the houses cannot be revalued to reflect the current economic trend whether it be increasing or decreasing.

Lulu58

Thankyou, Lincroft1710. The information you've given is really helpful.

You would have to look for similar houses in a lower band unaltered by their current owners.

We might struggle with this as most of the houses in the area are on the same band, but have been altered; just the original owners haven't moved. Do you have any idea what sort of distance we would be permitted to go to get comparable properties?

Would the properties have to be the same size as ours, including the extension? If so,I'm not sure how we would be able to find out that information.

Valuations for CT have to reflect the prices and economic factors as at 1 April 1991 (Eng & Scot), 1 April 2003 (Wales), so the houses cannot be revalued to reflect the current economic trend whether it be increasing or decreasing.

If valuations have to reflect the prices and economic factors as at 1/4/91, then how can it be reasonable to allow councils to elevate the banding when the house is sold, especially when the extension is very small and, according to local estate agents, wouldn't have come close to pushing the house up to the next band.

I've tried to check old prices but they seem out of whack by about £100k with the limited information we have been able to gather. Can anyone suggest anywhere I could go to get actual sale prices for the area?

If we ask for a review, how can I gauge how likely it is that other properties in the area will be re-banded?

lincroft1710

Lulu58 wrote: »

Thankyou, Lincroft1710. The information you've given is really helpful.


We might struggle with this as most of the houses in the area are on the same band, but have been altered; just the original owners haven't moved. Do you have any idea what sort of distance we would be permitted to go to get comparable properties?

The trouble is that even in the same town the same house type in different areas can have different values. I would suggest no more than 2 mile radius.

Would the properties have to be the same size as ours, including the extension? If so,I'm not sure how we would be able to find out that information.

You would have to best guess, the VOA will have the information but would only disclose it if you found somewhere in a lower band you thought was comparable


If valuations have to reflect the prices and economic factors as at 1/4/91, then how can it be reasonable to allow councils to elevate the banding when the house is sold, especially when the extension is very small and, according to local estate agents, wouldn't have come close to pushing the house up to the next band.

As i said in my previous post, councils do not increase bands, that is the province of the VOA. I have never known an Estate Agent who is knowledgeable about CT, unless they are ex VOA, or Chartered Surveyors. Ask the VOA why it was increased.

I've tried to check old prices but they seem out of whack by about £100k with the limited information we have been able to gather. Can anyone suggest anywhere I could go to get actual sale prices for the area?

1991 sale prices are not in the public domain. You could search for archived property page ads in local papers but they will only show asking prices

If we ask for a review, how can I gauge how likely it is that other properties in the area will be re-banded?

You can't. Only if you know that a house has an extension by previous owner which has been missed. Or a mistake was made in original banding.

.........................

Lulu58

Thanks again, lincroft 1710. Very helpful.

Sandyf

My daughter has bought a small cottage down a lane that has not been adopted by the council and has no street lighting. It is in the middle of a terace of three, the end cottages having large gardens at the side but my daughter has a small rear garden. All three cottages are the same band C which seems a lot for the services. Is there any grounds for questioning the band?