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

poorperson

Received a telephone call from the VOA adamant that the band will not be reduced. Although I had stated that similar properties were band A she'd have none of it and she even said that some properties in the street had been sold for 40 grand in 1991. That may have been the case but I sharp let her know that those were the "geet big hooses (that's geordie for rather large houses) at the top of the street. After a bit of toing and froing I just told her that for a realistic valuation, just use the remortgage figures from Nov1992. She cam back later on and let me know that she had passed the case to a higher level. I'm not too optimistic but perseverance is a virtue. Top man supposed to get back tomorrow.

Zebedeee

poorperson wrote:

I'm not too optimistic but perseverance is a virtue. Top man supposed to get back tomorrow.

I think you've said it there, poorperson. I'm quite sure they hope you'll give up, and probably most people do. If you are convinced you have a case, keep at it like a dog with a bone! I'm in a simillar boat to you, been going at this for about four months and finally somebody has agreed to come and have a look at our house.

Don't give up. Even if we don't win in the end it won't be for lack of trying!

stujm1974

I have contacted the local valuations office regarding my first home that I lived in between 2000 and May 2006. It was banded B I guess from the fact it was a new build costing near as damn it £50,000 in 2000 but the calculator suggests it would have been worth less than £40,000 in 1991. After several follow ups I managed to get a call back from them today and have been told that since I no longer live there I cannot request a rebanding enquiry. I was then told that even if I did live there now 6 months would have expired since I moved in in 2000 so that would prevent me from requesting a rebanding. I was told to keep an eye on the website and if a the current owner makes an enquiry (however having lived there for more than 6 months how can he?) and is successful in getting the property rebanded then I could then make a claim to recover the overpayments?

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions. I guess I could write to the new owners and my old next door neighbours and suggest that the banding is probably incorrect and that they could challenge it!?!

poorperson

One can hope so. I hope he 'phones after twelve tomorrow lunchtime 'cos I'll be sitting in the club playing dominoes and if things aren't going too well...?

Zebedeee

stujm1974 wrote:

I have contacted the local valuations office regarding my first home that I lived in between 2000 and May 2006. It was banded B I guess from the fact it was a new build costing near as damn it £50,000 in 2000 but the calculator suggests it would have been worth less than £40,000 in 1991. After several follow ups I managed to get a call back from them today and have been told that since I no longer live there I cannot request a rebanding enquiry. I was then told that even if I did live there now 6 months would have expired since I moved in in 2000 so that would prevent me from requesting a rebanding. I was told to keep an eye on the website and if a the current owner makes an enquiry (however having lived there for more than 6 months how can he?) and is successful in getting the property rebanded then I could then make a claim to recover the overpayments?

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions. I guess I could write to the new owners and my old next door neighbours and suggest that the banding is probably incorrect and that they could challenge it!?!

Why not? They may have somehow escaped the furore about Council Tax and have no idea about all this! Give them the information you have and tell them it could well be worth their while. As you say, they can't make a formal appeal, but they could request that their banding is reviewed.

All the best!

Zebedee

tigertot_2

I am currently renting a property and am sure that my band is to high but I am having touble finding out the value of my house in 1991 now the whole street is owned by my landlord and none of houses have been sold or purchased as they belong to part of an estate (i.e manor house). Not all the houses are the same and I know we all pay the same band. So any help would be much appreciated.

abbottw_2

Hi this is my first time posting on this site, after reading ML advice on Bandings I checked mine and discovered that most of the houses up my street are in Band C (I am in Band D) the person across the road from me has exactly the same size house and we are both end of terrace she is in Band C also. I appeal online via this website. The e.mail sent back said if you do not hear from us by 1/3/07 please contact us which I did, At first the guy I spoke to said you should have received a letter from us that was sent out on the 23rd Feb, which I said no I have received nothing. I then spent half an hour on the telephone talking to the Valuation Officer in Tunbridge Wells, who kept on repeating your claim is invalid as you did not make your proposal within the statutory time limits etc. I explained that I thought that all the houses were in the same band as me and I had know way of finding out what band they were in till I discovered this website, he said that was not his problem and kept repeating the time limit sentence, he also said that the nationwide house calculator was not correct as each area had different house price i.e. I live in Gravesend but in Chatham my house would be around £5000 cheaper. He also mention Regulation 26 !!!!!!! and 1993/290, but then my head started to swim. I said to regardless of this surely I should be in the same band as my exact opposite across the road and the majority of my neighbours, he said NO. I asked for a copy of the letter which he said he would have sent again, but there was nothing I could do and I could not appeal against his decision. I said I would appeal to the independent Valuation Tribunals Service which he said I couldn’t do. I am now completely baffled and am at a loss. Could someone please help me and suggest what to do next.

I thank you in anticipation

hmm07

I used to live in a flat for 4 years as a tenant. now, I find out it was wrongly band. I wrote to them asking for assesment so I can ask the council for refund. guess, what I was told. they wouldn't consider your rebanding application if you no longer have any connection with that property. so eventhough I'm pretty sure it was wrongly band and i over paid the council tax bill....I can't do anything aboit it now. surely, it is wrong and I should get my money back. happen to anyone like this?

Zebedeee

hmm07 wrote:

I used to live in a flat for 4 years as a tenant. now, I find out it was wrongly band. I wrote to them asking for assesment so I can ask the council for refund. guess, what I was told. they wouldn't consider your rebanding application if you no longer have any connection with that property. so eventhough I'm pretty sure it was wrongly band and i over paid the council tax bill....I can't do anything aboit it now. surely, it is wrong and I should get my money back. happen to anyone like this?

Read my post #789 above and several posts previous to this as this is a common problem. It is all down to the current occupier.

Hope that helps!

johnbhoy10

hi-

just a couple of quick questions

1) I keep reading if you've moved property (i did in 2003) you've had it! Reason i ask is because my colleagues mate was in same boat . She applied and got refunded! I'm in the same local authority! If i am successful in getting band changed but they refuse to backdate overpayments i will just quote their case.How can they refuse?

2)Why on why is there such a frustrating level of inconsistency from one local authority to another??? Let me guess! Every case is different!Give me a fracture? Similar cases are getting all kinds of responses?

Finally, i'm in North Ayrshire in Scotland and if(big if i know!) i am successful i'll be posting my details for all and sundry to use as an example to quote in cases against that particular authority!!!

DO NOT GIVE UP PEOPLE!!