Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

PPSH

Stroud District Council
Was: E
Now: D
Refund: £4,302
Annual Saving Going Forward: £340

OhMyGoddddddddddddddddd.

Thank you so much. Saw this on your TV show in March 2013 emailed VOA because all my neighbours are band D and I was only one band E and their houses and gardens are bigger than mine) and 8 weeks later I got the refund.

Thank you so much.:T

ellie27

ellie27 wrote: »

Our home was built 5 years ago.

I followed the guide by Martin Lewis, found similar properties nearby on a lower band, and also checked estimate of house price at 1991/93.

I submitted the online saa form and waited....

4 weeks later, nothing

Emailed the local assessors, heard nothing.

Finally after 8 weeks got a call today and success!!!!

Local Borough Council: Glasgow City
Council Tax Band Before : E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded: nothing yet
Annual saving going forward: £360 per year.

Am I right to think that if the difference between band D and E is £360 per year, we have lived there over 5 years so should expect around 5 x £360 = £1800? Hopefully!

5 neighbours will also be on the wrong band as they are in exact same house as us, but I will wait til I have my cheque first before telling them to claim!!

Update from above, its all confirmed now and we are just waiting for the cheque which could take up to 14 days.

In the house 5.5 years, paying band E and now rebanded to band D.

They gave me the option to either use the overpayment to cover the council tax for the year, so pay nothing for the rest of the year and get the other £600 OR continue to pay for the rest of the year and get a rebate for £1920. I took the second option.

jetjedi

Maidstone Borough Council
Was: F
Now: E
Refund: No further payments this year (saving £1427), £2 in credit.
Annual Saving Going Forward: £340

Thank-you!! :j

Do they automatically refund previous occupants? They still live in the village but they haven't mentioned a surprise cheque and don't really want to ask...

lincroft1710

jetjedi wrote: »

Do they automatically refund previous occupants? They still live in the village but they haven't mentioned a surprise cheque and don't really want to ask...

Any overpayment of CT should be refunded. However councils don't always have the current addresses of previous occupiers and some don't make much of an effort to contact them.

So do the previous occupiers a favour and tell them about the reduction and that they should contact the council.

lisap4123

I submitted Council Tax Challenge outside of 6 month period. They said my claim was invalid and sent me the invalidity notice but they also sent another letter saying they would 'informally' review my CT banding but I would have no right to appeal their decision once review completed. Is this usual?

I have been pulling together evidence to support my claim but I only now have a week left to submit the appeal - I am unsure if i should formally involve the adjudicator and appeal the invalidity notice or just accept the informal review offer and take the risk. Does anyone have any experience of this? My concern is that they will just reject my claim knowing i have no right to appeal.

Thanks

lincroft1710

If you are clearly outside the 6 month time limit it is pointless appealing the notice of invalidity. If you did appeal the subsequent tribunal would concentrate on whether or not your appeal was validly made and not concern itself with the band.

I'm ex VOA and the time I spent preparing and presenting a cast iron invalid appeal in front of a Tribunal meant there was less time to spend on investigating the band. Strangely band investigation of dwellings where taxpayers unsuccessfully challenged the invalidity did tend to fall to the very bottom of my in tray.

DaveLand

Local Borough Council: London Borough of Sutton
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Annual saving going forward: £320

The refund will only be about £60 as I've only been living here 2 months - which is how long the whole process took - Thank You Martin!!

CarolH_2

Aberdeenshire
Band G
Band F
£3899

We built and moved into our house January 1999 which was placed in band G. We subsequently built another house in the garden of the original one. We sold the original and the new house was then placed in band F. We thought this strange at the time as the new house had a higher valuation. I mentioned this fact to our new neighbours who had bought our original house. They then successfully challenged the band which was backdated to January 1999. They received their rebate and two days later we received our letter saying our refund would be transferred to our bank account within 14 days. So a huge thank you to Alan :beer:

lisap4123

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If you are clearly outside the 6 month time limit it is pointless appealing the notice of invalidity. If you did appeal the subsequent tribunal would concentrate on whether or not your appeal was validly made and not concern itself with the band.

I'm ex VOA and the time I spent preparing and presenting a cast iron invalid appeal in front of a Tribunal meant there was less time to spend on investigating the band. Strangely band investigation of dwellings where taxpayers unsuccessfully challenged the invalidity did tend to fall to the very bottom of my in tray.

Hi thanks for your comments. I dont see why its pointless appealing the invalidity notice? the gov have clearly stated that challenging the council tax banding should not be limited by time as per the letter by Brandon Lewis to local authorities reminding them of their duties. If the appeal confirmed the invalidity notice was ....ahem....invalid (which it surely must do given the government letter saying the same) then the council tax band would have to be reviewed formally.

I am still unsure of the answer to my original question but thanks for your comments

lincroft1710

The government can say whatever it likes, BUT without amending existing legislation, it is just hot air. A Valuation Tribunal can only make a decision according to Council Tax law which is crystal clear regarding the 6 month time limit..

And as local authorities do not deal with CT banding, Brandon Lewis' letter was a complete waste of time.

If your band is wrong it will be investigated and reduced as has been the case over the past 20 years. I dealt with many CT band reductions originating from a phone call or letter as opposed to a formal appeal. There are plenty of such success stories on this thread where no valid appeal was made.