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

sc0ttie

I live in a large house that the landlord converted to 5 flats. I moved here in 2014. The landlord doesn't do much in terms of maintenance on the building, as such, it is quite badly in need of improvement. For instance, we still have an old bakerlite fuse box in our flat, the windows are not in good condition, the repairs are not always done etc. You get the drift. We love on a road which is all large victorian houses, but ours is the only one on the street converted to flats. Since we are the only house on the street which is flats, how do i found out the correct market value of the flat i am renting, in order for me to be able to request a rebanding review from the council? I would appreciate any suggestions on this.

lincroft1710

sc0ttie wrote: »

I live in a large house that the landlord converted to 5 flats. I moved here in 2014. The landlord doesn't do much in terms of maintenance on the building, as such, it is quite badly in need of improvement. For instance, we still have an old bakerlite fuse box in our flat, the windows are not in good condition, the repairs are not always done etc. You get the drift. We love on a road which is all large victorian houses, but ours is the only one on the street converted to flats. Since we are the only house on the street which is flats, how do i found out the correct market value of the flat i am renting, in order for me to be able to request a rebanding review from the council? I would appreciate any suggestions on this.

Firstly the state of repair of a dwelling will not affect the CT band as all dwellings are assumed to be in a state of good repair for CT purposes. Secondly it is the VOA (Eng and Wales) or the Assessor (Scot) who deal with CT bands not the council.

1991 property prices are not in the public domain, so you will have to look around the area for other converted flats of a similar type and size and check their bands.

Finally which band are you in and which part of UK?

EilyT

Hi. I’ve followed the rules for trying to amend my council tax banding and claim a refund but it seems I can only claim if I have owned the house for less than 6 months. Is that correct or is there another way to claim? Thanks.

lincroft1710

EilyT wrote: »

Hi. I’ve followed the rules for trying to amend my council tax banding and claim a refund but it seems I can only claim if I have owned the house for less than 6 months. Is that correct or is there another way to claim? Thanks.

If you have lived in (or owned if the dwelling is vacant) your home for less than 6 months then you can make a formal appeal against the CT band and if it cannot be resolved, then have your case heard by the independent Valuation Tribunal.

If you are outside the time limit, you can ask the VOA (Eng and Wales) or Assessor (Scot) to investigate your band. There is no recourse to the VT. You must provide good reason(s) or evidence to support your claim or it will be summarily dismissed. Reference to Zoopla, Nationwide or similar house price indices will usually be rejected.

Canary

Hi, I'm looking for some advise.

My property was built in 2001 (I believe) by my neighbour who knocked down two farm buildings and built two identical houses, separated by a shared drive.

I bought my house in 2011, and I am council tax band E. He (the builder) lives in the other house which he has kept since building and is council tax band A.

How can this be right? I am paying nearly £1000 a year more, for the past 9 years for the exact same house? Looks to me like he's been creative and used a Ltd company to build both houses and sold his to himself for a nominal amount which has meant the council tax band is at the minimum.

I've checked using the nationwide valuation service which put me into band e for the 1991 valuation by a few hundred pounds only, but it still doesn't seem right that I have to pay so much more for literally the same building just 40 feet away?

I've appealed to my local council and stated the public information available over the banding, but its been rejected as I have lived in the property more than 6 months.

Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated.

CIS

Looks to me like he's been creative and used a Ltd company to build both houses and sold his to himself for a nominal amount which has meant the council tax band is at the minimum.

That has nothing to do with the banding - the valuation for council tax is based on the open market value, not some reduced value of a private sale.


Disregarding any major VOA error then either you property has been extended between being built and you buying it or he extended his property after he bought it.

lincroft1710

Canary wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking for some advise.

My property was built in 2001 (I believe) by my neighbour who knocked down two farm buildings and built two identical houses, separated by a shared drive.

I bought my house in 2011, and I am council tax band E. He (the builder) lives in the other house which he has kept since building and is council tax band A.

How can this be right? I am paying nearly £1000 a year more, for the past 9 years for the exact same house? Looks to me like he's been creative and used a Ltd company to build both houses and sold his to himself for a nominal amount which has meant the council tax band is at the minimum.

I've checked using the nationwide valuation service which put me into band e for the 1991 valuation by a few hundred pounds only, but it still doesn't seem right that I have to pay so much more for literally the same building just 40 feet away?

I've appealed to my local council and stated the public information available over the banding, but its been rejected as I have lived in the property more than 6 months.

Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated.

There is a possibility that the builder's house was only partially finished when banded or there was an older house (band A) which was partially demolished then substantially rebuilt

Canary

CIS wrote: »

That has nothing to do with the banding - the valuation for council tax is based on the open market value, not some reduced value of a private sale.


Disregarding any major VOA error then either you property has been extended between being built and you buying it or he extended his property after he bought it.

Both houses were completed at the same time and my understanding (from this site) was the calculation works on the last sale price, then worked backwards to get the 1991 valuation which sets the banding?

moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/council-tax-bands-change/ this is what I used to get my 1991 valuation and it asks for the sale price, last time the property sold and the date of the sale?

There is absolutely no difference in the two buildings, their are identical in size and layout?

CIS

Both houses were completed at the same time and my understanding (from this site) was the calculation works on the last sale price, then worked backwards to get the 1991 valuation which sets the banding?

Only in a very simplistic view of how the calculation is made.


It looks at the open market value of the property - this is to get around any attempt at an under-priced sales or sales within a closed market. The exact terminology in legislation is "the [price the] dwelling might reasonably have been expected to realise if it had been sold in the open market by a willing vendor on 1st April 1991 ".

Essentially the VOA will value the property under their legislation (which has a list of statutory criteria to try and put all property in to an equal position) - this assessment, in an open market, should then give a value at or very close to what a property would typically sell for if you look at sale prices but it doesn't have to be the same.


For example - I sell a house with a leasehold interest for £150,000 but with a freehold it would be worth £200,000. The VOA will consider the property as if it was a freehold so their calculated open market value would be closer to £200,000 - regardless of what I actually sold the property for.

lincroft1710

Canary wrote: »

Both houses were completed at the same time and my understanding (from this site) was the calculation works on the last sale price, then worked backwards to get the 1991 valuation which sets the banding?

moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/council-tax-bands-change/ this is what I used to get my 1991 valuation and it asks for the sale price, last time the property sold and the date of the sale?

There is absolutely no difference in the two buildings, their are identical in size and layout?

It is more likely that the VOA would compare your house and neighbour with existing nearby houses of a similar size and type and band them accordingly.

The simplest thing you can do is to ask the VOA why your neighbour's house is 4 bands lower than yours.