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

Saluka740

Are we allowed to claim back from council we told them previously about me having ptsd and husband having sleep aprons dep now our son has anxiety and sensory issues as well as depreciation that has an affect on daily life what do we do we do feel they covered it up brushed it off to reduction of 25 percent our council is very good at not supporting disabled families

CIS

Saluka740 wrote: »

Hi I was woundering if we’re eligible to claim council tax back when we first moved in 2014 I told them I had ptsd and my husband had sleep opena and depression we never claimed the severeve as they only reduced it 25 percent being on benefits didn’t think any of it till today are we allowed to get this backdated.
Thanks

6 years back is generally fine (some councils are easier than others !), over that can be more problematic but, if they knew you may qualify and didn't follow it up, then you may have legal an argument that can be made (these are the ones I tend to see go to a tribunal).

lincroft1710

davelees215 wrote: »

I was at my dad's flat last night and spotted his council tax bill. He's in a one bed flat he bought for 160k in august last year and he's on band e. A quick check of what his house would have been worth in 91 (although it was only built in2000) shows approx £41k so it should be in band b. His neighbours seem to be either band d or e although I'm not certain which flats are what size (I know some are bigger, others the same, although he has a better view than most).

The only reason I can think for the high band is that it's a leashold and he has access to communal areas including a gym and pool that he pays a large management fee for. Would this make a difference.?

If these are retirement apartments, then they tend not to hold their value, so the original 2000 sale price may well have been in line with those of Band E properties. It probably would also have reflected the communal pool and gym. Most flats are leasehold.

As you are out of time to make a formal appeal, you will have to provide good reasons why the band is too high and a figure from a house price index will not suffice. See if you can find 1 bed flats in other blocks in the area on lower bands.

Richard_Grosvenor

I converted a utility room for a downstairs disabled toilet as i have MS and am struggling with the stairs. The Council refused to lower my band by one level because they say that the discount only applies if you installed a bathroom, so a toilet does not count. Is that the correct interpretation of the law?

CIS

Richard_Grosvenor wrote: »

I converted a utility room for a downstairs disabled toilet as i have MS and am struggling with the stairs. The Council refused to lower my band by one level because they say that the discount only applies if you installed a bathroom, so a toilet does not count. Is that the correct interpretation of the law?

Legislation, in this case, states"...an additional bathroom or kitchen required for meeting the needs of the qualifying individual; or...". For whatever reason Parliament did not see that an extra lavatory should be a qualifying condition for this reduction (the complete wording of the legislation actively rules it out).


(Oddly it is very rare this sort of query comes up, I think in the last 3 years I've had one client approach me regarding the disabled band relief)

shellt69

Hi, thinking of asking for an appeal of banding but not sure if I've got enough grounds.

I'm in band E, as are neighbours with exact same houses. Same houses with 1 garage not two Are band D - I appreciate this is because they are smaller.

Therefore My only grounds are that based on today's prices and the price in 2001 when I bought from brand new, Martin's. Calculator is saying we should be Band D. Nationwide calculator for 1991 is saying the same although the property wasn't built them so difficult to prove. Any advice welcome please.

lincroft1710

shellt69 wrote: »

Hi, thinking of asking for an appeal of banding but not sure if I've got enough grounds.

I'm in band E, as are neighbours with exact same houses. Same houses with 1 garage not two Are band D - I appreciate this is because they are smaller.

Therefore My only grounds are that based on today's prices and the price in 2001 when I bought from brand new, Martin's. Calculator is saying we should be Band D. Nationwide calculator for 1991 is saying the same although the property wasn't built them so difficult to prove. Any advice welcome please.

House price calculators are not accurate, so would suggest you look for other houses of a similar size and type with 2 garages and see if any are in Band D

landlorduk

Anyone have experience of this from Northern Ireland? I recently had my property revalued and the value reduced by £10,000. However, I have had the property since 2014 and would like to see if I can reclaim for the past 4 years - its not a huge amount, probably about £300.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

davelees215

Been looking at how to appeal for my dad's flat that is in band e. I tried looking at nearby 1 bed flats but the only ones I could find were some council flats. These are a similar size, a mile away and all band A but in reality they're quite different as he lives in a retirement block and has a great view of a lake with open countryside behind.
Would this comparison be of any use as I can't find any other retirement blocks locally. The nearest are in harrogate about 4 miles away and are different anyway as they're urban.
I tried comparing to neighbours but most have larger flats or houses. There is one at band D in his retirement block but I can't work out which one it is and anyway I'm convinced even that this too high (he paid £160k for his last year).

lincroft1710

davelees215 wrote: »

I tried looking at nearby 1 bed flats but the only ones I could find were some council flats. These are a similar size, a mile away and all band A but in reality they're quite different as he lives in a retirement block and has a great view of a lake with open countryside behind.
Would this comparison be of any use

Not a suitable comparison