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

katiem_4

I am just in the process of moving to my first flat.
It is a band B property. It is only 2 years old. All the flats(32 of them) have been assigned band B
When I look on the nationwide website, it calculates that the value would have been approximately £37,500 in 1991-Band A
There are no simmilar flats in the whole town to compare prices with.

Do you think it is worth pursuing this once I move?

hamsterholly

I have been in contact with my local voa for the past few weeks as trying to get my house into band B from a C.

I received 2 letters this week. The first was to say my property will be assessed next week and the other letter that came advised that my papers were being sent to the local tribunal and they would be in touch. This was in relation to the information I sent them but they are disagreeing on the invalidity notice (been in house more than 6 months)

Has anyone else been in this situation ? and does it get as far as the tribunal ?

I have pretty strong evidence (I think). I am in a link detached and there are numerous houses on our estate who are detached (Same size as mine or bigger) who are in a lower band (B). There is even identical houses to mine and my neighbours who are also in band B.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Tracey

Maisie

bye bye band G.

For your interest. On page 3 of the 'Success thread' post #81 from Academic.

Says he got interest on his rebate.

Maisie

Poppycat

I am on band C and worked out on nationwide indicator and using a house slightly higher price as the one we bought this month but same house on same street, both mine and that house should be in band B. I asked my neighbout and they were on C many years ago, and appealed and went to band B. My house is almost the same accept I have a built on garage where there's is a few feet away.

It says on VOA that my hous emay go up due to some works carried out, the only thing it has had was a intregal garage which was built on where a conservatory was there before.

Academic

Maisie & Bye Bye Band G,

The VOA have paid me interest on my rebate.

My circumstances were reasonably clear cut in that my neighbour's house (the mirror image of our semi-detached) was re-banded, on appeal, in 1994. The VOA should have made a consequential change to the Council Tax list (this is a statutory obligation under the 1992 Local Government & Finance Act, which gives Listing Officers (LO) the dual task to compile & maintain an accurate Council Tax list; it also states that the LO is under a duty to make such alterations as are necessary to the list and apply this decision to other similar dwellings in the immediate vicinity).

After a successful re-banding review I wrote to the local VOA office and drew their attention to this; they investigated and have sent me a cheque which repays the compound interest on the amount of Council Tax we overpaid due to their error.

I'm sure that each case will be judged on its particular merits.......the only slightly irritating aspect of this process was the fact that the VOA didn't make any mention of the possibility of paying interest on my rebate even though they must have known they were in error. However, thanks to the MSE forum (and particularly to Jamesiebabie's earlier posts on this thread) I was aware of the possibility and pursued it. Forum-power !!

Maisie

Thanks Academic. byebyebandG has had his rebate and now looking for interest.

Your post is very interesting as I am battling the VOA as my immediate neighbour (mirror image house) is a lower band and have found several other identical houses which are a lower banded. I quoted the 'maintain an accurate list' policy and am waiting for the voa to reply.

I was the original poster on the initial thread in August 2005 which led to this council tax discussion etc and which so many have had rebates from.
Unfortunately I am NOT one of them. But here's hoping!

Thanks again for your informative and helpful post.

Maisie

Iluvorkney

Good luck to all of you who are getting money back; I followed the procedure only to find that, althought my house was not built in 1991, ( new build in 1998 ) the retrospective value of my property was £500 more that the new price??????:

Zebedeee

I was the original poster on the initial thread in August 2005 which led to this council tax discussion etc and which so many have had rebates from.
Unfortunately I am NOT one of them. But here's hoping!

Maisie

I can't be the only one wondering Maisie, how come you didn't do this back in 2005?

Best regards,
Zebedee

bellabong

My listing officer is saying to me that it depends on the state of repair of the house in 1991 as to the value. I'm not happy with this as they only saw the front of the house. How do they know this by just driving by? What I don't like is the fact that his descision is final and you can't appeal. We are in a road that are mostly ex-council houses and as we;ve been there a long time, it seems that all the houses that were council in 1991 are in band A and all the ones that were already bought at that time, have been placed in band B. How can this be right or fair?

bellabong

My listing officer is saying to me that it depends on the state of repair of the house in 1991 as to the value. I'm not happy with this as they only saw the front of the house. How do they know the true value by just driving by? What I don't like is the fact that his descision is final and you can't appeal. We are in a road that are mostly ex-council houses and as we've been there a long time, it seems that all the houses that were council in 1991 are in band A and all the ones that were already bought at that time, have been placed in band B. How can this be right or fair?