VOA Officer wants to visit me ?

TightGit

Recently had a letter from the VOA agency ( who i had never heard of )

It explained that internal modifications to the house i had just bought meant that i am possible now liable for more council tax and they would like to come out to inpsect my property.

I thought it was a scam but after her actually showing up ( i was out ) and looking on their site it seems its cosha.

So question is , how can they put my council tax up due to internal modification ? The house is no larger in foot print than it ever has been and the only modification is a double garage turned in to a sitting room some 11 years ago.

Help me out guys before i call her back and get my self tied in knots.

Cheers

dancingfairy

It sounds like it's to do with the conversion of the double garage. re-banding only takes effect when the property is sold; so if you did an extention then the new people would be liable for higher council tax. So it seems highly likely you are responsible for paying at the new (presumably higher) band rate.
df

poppysarah

When did you buy?

Had the work been declared through building control/planning?


http://www.voa.gov.uk/cti/InitS.asp?lcn=0


Check the properties on your street. Have any similar ones had anything similar done? What's happened to their banding?

maninthestreet

Maybe the loss of the double garage offsets any value added by an (extra?) sitting room?

Norman_Castle

So question is , how can they put my council tax up due to internal modification ?

I expect the voa are visiting after a request from your council who believe your modifications have altered your council tax band. I have dealt with the voa for a fair rent assesment and found them helpful and fair. If you do not understand anything they will explain it to you.

jjlandlord

If your property is up for potential re-banding this should be indicated on the VOA's website, in the "Improvement Indicator" column.

TightGit

I bought the house 2 months ago.

Building regs and planning were there from the build date ( 1990 ) as our house was the show home , the double garage therefore was the sales office.

Saving grace is everyone on my road is band E ( same as mine ) many with very large extensions. Also my house was apparently worth £88,000 in 1991 therefore the modifications would need to add £30,000 to the value , i cant see a sitting room adding this.

poppysarah

TightGit wrote: »

i cant see a sitting room adding this.

You'd also have lost value from not having a garage too?

Point out everyone else has extended and are still band E.
Mind you if they get put up to band F the might be unhappy.

TightGit

Ah sorry total oversight , there was a double garage built to replace the one that was lost, so i suppose the total modification from sale date was the addition of a double garage as the house would have originally been classed as sold with a second sitting room ?

Either way 30k on a 88k house is substantial so i will just have to see what the outcome is