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

tinajef

Can anyone explain how council tax was assessed. Was it by size of property or price of property.
I'm in a 1 bed property on Band B, my neighbours home is 2/3 bed (I cant remember exactly how many beds defo not 1) and they are on Band B too.
So I dont know whether its worth trying or not

Altarf

tinajef wrote:

Can anyone explain how council tax was assessed. Was it by size of property or price of property.
I'm in a 1 bed property on Band B, my neighbours home is 2/3 bed (I cant remember exactly how many beds defo not 1) and they are on Band B too.
So I dont know whether its worth trying or not

It is based on how much the property would have sold for on 1st April 1991 (if it was built after 1991 it is assumed it existed then and the value is still taken as a 1991 value). The value of a property places it in a band. Band B is properties valued between £40,001 and £52,000 (remember these are 1991 prices and not today's prices). So a property at the top end of band B could be worth 25% more than a property at the bottom of band B. Hence you can get odd situations where you can get a small property which has just crept over the top of the lower band, and a much bigger property that has just slipped under the top of that same band (council tax is not 'fair' in many respects, it is just cheap and easy to collect, and for the politicians in 1993 was not the Poll Tax).

Ignore the fact that others with bigger properties are paying the same council tax, it may not be fair, but the VOA will not change your band on the basis that it is not fair. You need to establish what your property would have been worth on 1st April 1991, and if it was worth less than £40,001 (or would have been worth less than that had it existed then).

All of the above assumes you are in England.

If you want to read more, have a look here - http://www.voa.gov.uk/council_tax/how_your_property_is_valued.htm

only1king

Hi, I have followed the precedure as listed and have initially found out that I should be in band D not E, however, as my house was only built in 2001 would the council still use the 1991 rate calculations or applied a new rate as and when the house was initially sold ? I am sure a fair percentage of us are living in houses built after 1991.

pvsol

Has anyone applied online for rebanding and not heard back within the time period? When I applied they said they would respond by 8th February but I havent heard anything and there is nothing next to my address on the voa website. I thought once you applied an "i" came up next to the address?

only1king

I have discovered that 4 similiar houses in our close are in a lower band than the rest of us. These houses are owned by the council through housing associations so how is it possible that they can charge a lower rate for their own properties whilst putting us in the next band up ??

Maisie

jackofherts wrote:

Are there any example letters online for send to the Listings Officer for a reassessment?

None that I know of.

Maisie

patchwork_cat

How come some people are getting referred to the 6 month rule and others are being backdated 14 years. The VOA is one dept. it is not even seperate local authorities.
Are the backdaters being kind or are they setting a precedent that if taken to it's nth would become case law when quoted by someone who has been refused on the 6 mth. rule.

bye_bye_band_G

patchwork_cat wrote:

How come some people are getting referred to the 6 month rule and others are being backdated 14 years. The VOA is one dept. it is not even seperate local authorities.
Are the backdaters being kind or are they setting a precedent that if taken to it's nth would become case law when quoted by someone who has been refused on the 6 mth. rule.

It really needs to be emphasised that there are two ways of approaching the VOA with your request for a rebanding. One is to make a formal appeal, either online or by letter. If you do this the VOA will normally quote the 6 month rule at you if you've been there more than 6 months, and if you want to continue with a formal appeal which can end in a tribunal, you have to find another reason for making what they call a valid proposal. There is a list of acceptable reasons (its short!).

The second way is simply to say that you think your tax band is wrong, and will they kindly re-assess it. Its not a formal appeal, and the 6 month rule does not come in here. You tell them all the evidence you have for your request and they will consider it. If they decide against rebanding, you cannot appeal against their decision or ask for a tribunal. They often offer to look at it this way if you've tried to make a formal appeal but been turned down due to the 6 month rule, and if they don't, you should ask them to.

The backdating 14 years applies to anyone who achieves a rebanding, whichever of the routes they travelled to get there. Unless there are unusual circumstances, the rebate will be normally backdated to 1993, and the present and previous occupiers can ask for their share.

Altarf

only1king wrote:

as my house was only built in 2001 would the council still use the 1991 rate calculations or applied a new rate as and when the house was initially sold ? I am sure a fair percentage of us are living in houses built after 1991.

Although your house was built in 2001 the VOA (not the council, they only collect the tax) will have calculated the value for council tax based on what it would have been worth had it had existed in 1991.

bye_bye_band_G

pvsol wrote:

Has anyone applied online for rebanding and not heard back within the time period? When I applied they said they would respond by 8th February but I havent heard anything and there is nothing next to my address on the voa website. I thought once you applied an "i" came up next to the address?

An 'i' next to the address means there have been alterations to the property which could result in rebanding next time the house is sold.
While the VOA are considering your case nothing shows as different on the website.
But if they haven't got back to you, give them a call. But they'll be very busy after Martin's media coverage so its not surprising really.