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

Shelldean

Can someone help???

I live in a rented HA house. SO i don't know how to compare my house to others in the street as apart from the other HA properties none are similar.
All the same HA are already in the same band.

stphnstevey

Anybody help?

I challenged are council tax banding via the VOA website. Received a letter a few weeks later saying they acknowledge receipt of my challenge, but that it could take months before anything is done about it. This was over a month or so, have I been fobbed off?

jamesiebabie

stphnstevey wrote: »

Anybody help?

I challenged are council tax banding via the VOA website. Received a letter a few weeks later saying they acknowledge receipt of my challenge, but that it could take months before anything is done about it. This was over a month or so, have I been fobbed off?

No your not being fobbed off, they do actually have quite a bit of work on. What I would say is that you can always give them a ring and ask to speak to the valuer in charge of the case and persue it that way. The staff are generally quite friendly, so don't be worried about giving them a ring to find out where they are with your appeal.

SOLIS_2

jamesiebabie,

Your good advice has been on the button, and you appear very knowledgeable.

However, one thing I have not seen anywhere (I must admnit to skimming as have not had the time to read all the posts) is whether if one has a rebanding the Water Rates also change.

I presume they must as they are based on rateable value. Can you confirm this, and if so, this will be another avenue for misbanded people to explore rebates.

Regards

Solis

stphnstevey

Very good point!

(we are getting a meter, which works best for us as there's only the two of us)

Ron_Cook

I am contesting the banding of my house as it was a new build in 2001 but the banding given me doesn't reflect the pro-rata 1991 value. Now there are several items such as bigger cooker, extra tiling e.t.c. that added up to several thousand pounds that went into the final sale price of the house without materially affecting it.

This could catch someone out unless they pay for these items seperately!

Ron Cook

tarinilie

no water rates is based on RV pre 1990 - CT cannot affect water rates

stphnstevey

tarinilie wrote: »

no water rates is based on RV pre 1990 - CT cannot affect water rates

What year pre 1990?

But surely if you can work out past house prices for council tax you could do the same for water rates. If the valuation is significantly different from the water rates valuation, you should be able to contest this.

Who ever was the first person to contest their council tax banding must have come across the same problem.

Is their a website that you can see other people in your streets water rates valuation to compare yours too to see if your paying more than them?


Also, why are the water rates and council tax based on the value off the house anyway! Someone in a more expensive house doesn't necessarily use more water or more council services. They have the same number of police, fire and ambulance men turn up in an emergency, the same number of bins, proberbly use the library the same about as others.

In the same way, the valuation of a house does not directly relate to the water usage. A family with kids living in a 2 bedroom house would probaly use more water than a single person living in a 4 bed. It seems the tax is not related to the usage, much like telivision tax (or licence). Why are we forced to pay for BBC, even if we don't watch it!

paula72

I've found out that i was paying a band b for 7 years when i should have been a band a but i moved in 2005. Can i still claim?

poorperson

poorperson wrote: »

Following my conversation last Friday 2/3, the guy from the VOA was supposed to return to me no later than yesterday with information backing up his side of the argument, and did he? Did he hell as like. Earlier in the week I made further investigations and I found that my next door neighbour's house is larger than mine (only by 50 square feet but who cares?) despite having 2 bedrooms when I have 3. I obviously let the VOA know about this but still they haven't come back. Can't wait for Monday morning.

Monday morning came and Monday morning went but late afternoon I got a call from my VOA man. Unfortunately, he is sticking to his guns which is what I thought he would do; but I'm sticking to mine. If I eventually lose I'll make sure I grind the ***** down before he does me. What really gets on my goat is that the VOA will not accept the valuation of the property for a remortgage in Nov 1992 (obviously because it was only for £31000) not to mention the size of the other properties. He states that information he has regarding nearby properties were selling for the equivalent of the band B rate. Of course he wouldn't let me have this information so I just asked him how I was supposed to know he was telling the truth. Anyway, I'm not giving up so I'm off to the Land Registry under the Freedom of Information Act and ask for the required information on specific properties. I wonder if they will oblige. Meanwhile I will take on board the info that bronking has provided. I have been very nice to the VOA (no raised voices 'cos it's not the way) and will continue to be so.