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

Maisie

jamesiebabie wrote: »

Maisie,

It sounds like you are having fun. OK, where do you start. First thing first, the VOA are unlikely to look at the figures from 1983/84 as this is so far away from the AVD [Antecedant Valuation Date of 1/4/1991]. there was a marked increase in high prices between then and 1991, along with a housing market crash, subsequently then sales from say 1 year either side would be used. The VOA would also consider the original sale as 'Not Arms Length' [NAL] as it was a 'Right to buy' [RTB]sale and therefore you would have had a discount on the Open Market Value [OMV]. What you need is evidence of any subsequent transactions in your street., if this is possible.

I would ask the question as to what the VOA are going to do about all those properties that they say are in the wrong band as they have a duty to maintain an accurate list. This should be copied into your local MP and Caroline Spellman MP [Conservative] as she is consistanatly on the back of the VOA and is the main cause of all tabloid press against the VOA. Shje is also the main person who is asking all the FOI questions, but this does not stop you.

You can request under the FOI all the property details of every house that you think is similar to yours and ask for the total number of rooms, number of bedrooms, age, size [floor space of the house], plot size [footprint of the total area of the house and gardens]. If you are contending the banding you should ask what comparables are they relying on to base your valuation. You could state that the VOA are not being transparent and that they hold the information and what are they scared of.

Have any of the houses been appealed and reduced do you know Maisie?

If you do not come under any of the criteria to appeal, then they are right in stating you cannot have a valid appeal and therefore will not get an oppotunity to appear at VT. Sorry.

This will have to be a case of applying the pressure slowly until you get a decisive answer, this can then be done by writing to the CEO himself [Andrew Hudson], you can tell them the same story and provide them with all the relevant info.

The Chief Executive
Valuation Office Agency
New Court
Carey Street
London
WC2A 2JE

Wait for the reply, if that is not satisfactory then write to the The Adjudicator
Haymarket House
28 Haymarket
London
SW1Y 4SP

Their service is free and is your last port of call!

PM me if you need further advice. I hope this helps.

J

Thanks jamesie.

YOU'RE A STAR !! Thanks for spending time with all that information. It's really useful to me and many others who are struggling with rebanding.

I'm going to nominate you for Post of the Month as your help and expert advice on this thread is invaluable to so many.

I know many MSE's who have successfully rebanded and got rebates have a lot to thank you for. Hope they will support me on Post of the Month.

Thanks also to Zebedee as he's always willing to help.

Maisie

square-eyes

I asked my Valuations Officer to consider rebanding my property weeks ago. I received two letters from him declining on the ground of "out of time" . One saying he would review my case and a second saying I could appeal his decision if I did it within 4 weeks.
I decided to let him review my case but I have waited 6 weeks and have not eard anything. Is this sort of delay usual? Should I write to him and ask if he has made any progress?

Zebedeee

Maisie wrote: »

Thanks jamesie.

YOU'RE A STAR !! Thanks for spending time with all that information. It's really useful to me and many others who are struggling with rebanding.

I'm going to nominate you for Post of the Month as your help and expert advice on this thread is invaluable to so many.

I know many MSE's who have successfully rebanded and got rebates have a lot to thank you for. Hope they will support me on Post of the Month.

Thanks also to Zebedee as he's always willing to help.

Maisie

I'll second you on that Maisie! Jamsiebabie really knows his (or her?) stuff. I only know what I know from Jamsiebabie's help and my own bitter experience!

BTW, how does one go about nominating/voting for Post of the Month?

Zebedee

shelovestobuystuff

Gnasher04 wrote: »

Hi all,

May seem like a weird question, but can the previous owner of the property apply for a refund ? We have just been rebanded from B to A thanks to this site, and the letter states that it is backdated to 1993.

We only bought the house in 2002, it was previously owned by my Wife's Aunt which is why I ask....

Yes,I believe she can get a refund too as the previous occupant.She did overpay.

Maisie

Zebedeee wrote: »

I'll second you on that Maisie! Jamsiebabie really knows his (or her?) stuff. I only know what I know from Jamsiebabie's help and my own bitter experience!

BTW, how does one go about nominating/voting for Post of the Month?

Zebedee

Zebedee. You're always helpful too. We're all learning a lot from jamesiebabie and our own experiences!

I found Post of the month for March on the front page towards the bottom.

I think a lot of people owe their rebanding to jamesiebabie and his/her advice on this thread.

Hope we'll get a successful outcome too!

Maisie

shelovestobuystuff

I applied for my council tax banding to be reconsidered after I discovered that my neighbors on either side were band C and we are band D.We are semi-detached with one of them so houses are identical.I got a leter back after a few weeks saying simply that my request was INVALID as I have lived in the property for over 6 months.We have lived here for over 6 years infact but I have only just found out we pay more than our neighbors.
Does anyone know what I should do next in this situation.

jamesiebabie

lucygotit wrote: »

HELP NEEDED PLEASE.............

I have been in touch with the VOA who sent me a letter and a questionaire. I have filled the questionaire in about how many rooms we have that they sent me. Our detached house is Band E but neighbours detached house is Band D ( they were debanded about 5 years ago ) with more living space than us and probably same amount of land. What do you think our chances are of being rebanded?
What will be the next step after sending questionaire back because when we received this it said we couldn't do it or words to that effect.
Please help....we built the house in 1983 and obviously still live here.
What strong points do I need to make to them for them to consider. We live in a small village with only a villlage pub, not even a childrens play area or shop.

Any help will be appreciated and I thankyou for that.

Lucygotit,

Can I ask why you have received this questionnaire? Have you moved or sold the property? It doesn't really matter what your response is to either, the VOA have no statutory right to ask for the info, it is up to you to decide if you want to give it to them. If you are not currently appealing, then I would not respond as this could prejudice you in the future when it comes to a revaluation as they will have to guess the banding. Of course this could go either way, but you would be in a no lose position, because if you think it is too high, then you will be able to appeal, if it is too low you keep quiet.

If you are in the process of appealing [I think you aren't] then if you think it helps you to give them the detail, then do so, otherwise ignore the letter and put it in the recycling bin and sdo your bit for queen and country.

I hope that tidies that one up.

J

jamesiebabie

shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

I applied for my council tax banding to be reconsidered after I discovered that my neighbors on either side were band C and we are band D.We are semi-detached with one of them so houses are identical.I got a leter back after a few weeks saying simply that my request was INVALID as I have lived in the property for over 6 months.We have lived here for over 6 years infact but I have only just found out we pay more than our neighbors.
Does anyone know what I should do next in this situation.

shelovestobuystuff,

Simple answer, write to your Listing Officer requesting a band review under the Council Tax Charter, tell them as much about the comparables as possible, i.e. your neighbours are in Band C and yours is identical and hopefully 'Bob's your uncle' you'll get your Band C. By the way, this sounds very much like Maisie's case and you may want to claim compensation from the VOA as and when you band is reduced. Just read the thread and my posts to see how this can be done.

Be nice initially to the VOA as they are generally very good people, who are actually human and here to help. But they do represent the population, so there maybe some rogues who can be awkward, but cleverness always wins along with politeness.

Just don't worry about anything, we are here to help and support you.

If not let us know on here and someone will give you some advice as how to further progress your case.

J

jamesiebabie

pingua wrote: »

I am relaxed now cheers. I will be ready if I have to do battle. So shall I not bother sending the form back??? Just see what they do next??? Or send it in and set the ball rolling??

Pingua,

Set the ball in motion, if you need guidance, just ask.

J

jamesiebabie

square-eyes wrote: »

I asked my Valuations Officer to consider rebanding my property weeks ago. I received two letters from him declining on the ground of "out of time" . One saying he would review my case and a second saying I could appeal his decision if I did it within 4 weeks.
I decided to let him review my case but I have waited 6 weeks and have not eard anything. Is this sort of delay usual? Should I write to him and ask if he has made any progress?

Square-eyes,

There is no problem with you phoning up the VOA and asking to speak to the Council Tax team [CT team], they should be more than happy to tell you the current situation. Just ask and see what they say. Try and put a deadline on it, say 2-3 weeks. But I think the VOA are very busy at the moment due to MSE's appearance on the 'Tonight' programme last month.

Be patient, it will come to he who waits.

J