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

eljace

guppy wrote:

Location ,location, location. House prices are lower in Scotland. A house the same as yours in England would also probably be valued in Band G.

If you valued houses in Scotland against the English band ranges many houses would be clumped in the lower bands (and the amount of tax due for these bands would have to increase accordingly.)

Think you are right about location,location,location. But have you seen the prices in Aberdeen and Edinbugh. Aberdeen's prices are continually rising, there has been no decrease what so ever. Edinburgh even has a few streets that are refered to as MILLIONAIRS ROW because they are all priced well over the million. What I also think that should also be taken into consideration is the cost of living as I found it cheaper to live in London, ie: food, travel, heating etc...for example: for a few quid you can get all day travel on all modes of ground and underground travel in London. In Aberdeen for the same few quid that will cover you for approx 13 bus stops, Big difference...

Dragonmist

I live in a tiny agricultural cottage, circa 1935. On the plans it is 2 bed plus boxroom. The Council say the box room is a bedroom. You can fit a single bed across the far end, and a chair and bedside cabinet, but the ceiling slopes and it is claustrophobic. The cottage was built from 2nd hand bricks, floorboards and doors from slum clearance. They have never been sold, as they are tied cottages. We will never have the right to buy, even though we have paid rent for over 40 years. It is Band E.
Years ago I asked for a revaluation. Even though all the details of the property were readily available at the Estate Office, a Surveyer turned up without warning, and demanded to be let in to measure every room in the house. I don't want strangers poking round my home. My husband was disabled, and my grandson lived with us. He has Aspergers and would not have been able to cope with a stranger going in his bedroom. I tried to explain this and was told if I didn't admit him I wouldn't be re-assessed.
For our Council Tax I get the wheelie bin emptied. That's it. Even the Mobile Library Service has been cut.
They say we are Band E because people would pay thousands of pounds to live in such beautiful surroundings. We weren't given a choice where we lived. This was the cottage allocated to us. We have 2 buses a day, none on Sundays. Last bus back 6 pm, so Cinderella doesn't get to go to the ball, cinema, or Bingo. Mobile phones don't work here, and we had to get Sky because the TV signal is poor. I don't drive so I'm stuck with the expensive bus fares. Miss the bus back and it's £10 by taxi to get home. Not an option for a widowed pensioner. There are no pavements and street lights. Under the old Rates System we got a rebate because we didn't have the services available in the local town. Now we pay for what we don't get. Who do we compare our cottage with? There are just 8 cottages in the middle of nowhere. I think we all pay the same, but when entering details on the recommended site, they have no information on these properties at all.
I can see I will pay over the odds until I die, because I still can't stomach the idea of some stranger poking about in my home. He'd have to stand on the bed to measure my bedroom. I have to climb over the bed to open and close the window.

pvsol

Just a thought........... my husband is registered as the council tax payer for our house.... if I rung the council and had the account transferred into my name......I then become a new Council Tax payer and I can claim under the 6 month rule? Does anyone think this is worth a try???

patchwork_cat

I have just received confirmation of a reduction in banding. We moved in nearly 5 years ago. I was concerned about the 6 month rule too. I did appeal informally over the phone and think reading other posts that that is why the 6 month rule was not invoked.

Maisie

patchwork_cat wrote:

I have just received confirmation of a reduction in banding. We moved in nearly 5 years ago. I was concerned about the 6 month rule too. I did appeal informally over the phone and think reading other posts that that is why the 6 month rule was not invoked.

The voa would have checked nearby houses and if yours was overbanded in relation to those would have lowered your band.

They sometimes put the band UP too.

poorperson

Doing things properly, as one tries does, I sent my details off to the VOA who acknowledged immediately that my dispute had been logged and I would hear from them within eight weeks.

Reading the posts on this thread and the success thread, I have noticed that some claimants have written/'phoned direct to their council. I was under the impression that the VOA amended the bands and the council paid out.

Can anyone shed any further light on this for please? If the council is going to be quick, perhaps I should go down that road!

bye_bye_band_G

Good to see that HRH and the PM both pay council tax!
I have just spent an interesting few mins nosing around the VOA website in the Westminster City authority, with searches such as 'downing' and 'buckingham'.
Yes, I know, I should get out more, but if you want to know what bands they're in you'll have to look yourself!!

Poorperson, some claimants may well have written/phoned the council direct, they will have been directed in no uncertain terms to the VOA. Your understanding of the responsibilities is correct.

Zebedeee

marie_hc wrote:

question I know silly. Have you have to be still residing in your house that you were overcharged in????

Yes, you do have to be living in the property to submit an appeal. If you get the new occupants to appeal and they win tho', you could get some money back.

Hope that helps!

Harmonic

All the same type of house in our road are in the same Band, however, using the "Nationwide" engine to estimate the 1991 price, from todays value, we All seem to be in a Band one higher than expected. Has anyone had success appealing from this situation?

FirstTimer4Me

Hi

Having read through all the pages, I am still unable to find an answer, so, I trust someone can assist me.

I live in a private block of flats, consisting of 18 flights spread over 3 blocks.

Although all flats seem to be in the same banding, and having followed MSE links, it appears my banding should be in a lower category i.e. band B now, should be according to the databases band A.

I have appealed, and have received notification that my application has failed due to being outside the 6 months period.

I purchased this property in 2003, as a 1st time buyer, so I was not aware of the criteria for the appeal system.

Now, the VOA has stated they will re look at my application based on property sales in 1991, so, this is my query!!

Although this property is private purpose built flats, the surrounding postcode area is in a “Council Area” I cannot find any flats sold in 1991, only houses, so how can the VOA make a decision that I’m in the wrong banding?

I’m sure they will find that my property is in the correct band i.e what it's in now band B