Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

stokelady

Hello, I sold my house 10 years ago and believe it or not am still paying off council tax arrears on the property. The new owners have contacted me to say they have had the house re-banded from a C to a B and that I may be entitled to a refund ? Anybody know I this is the case? If so is it a case of just ringing the council tax and asking ? Can I still claim a refund ? Any idea of the process, time scale? etc etc Many thanks

lincroft1710

stokelady wrote: »

Can I still claim a refund ?

Yes, just contact the council. They should still have details of the period of your occupation.

thewad

I found out about this too late.
I had already used a firm who told me it was a nightmare to do so I let them do it and got a £2400.
Unfortunately the firm wanted a 50/50 split and from my 50% was paid their VAT so I got less than them.
Complained to Trading Standards and am up in court as one of 50 witnesses against them next week....I'm in on the 26/09.
So I can't name the N Yorks firm yet.

smartbear1

Walsall MBC
Band before - B
Band after - A
Amount refunded - £862.90 (2005 - 2013)
Saving going forward -£132 a year

A neighbour told me she had been unsuccessful with her rebanding but kindly told me other properties similar to mine were in a lower band. I contacted the valuations officer who investigated, which took about 2 months and I got a letter saying my council would be informed of the new band.

This part took longer and it was 4 weeks and 2 direct debit payments at the old rate before Walsall MBC sent me a bill. The bill showed lots of credits which added up to more than the refund they finally offered me. They also decided to use the cash against my future bills, which resulted in a very low credit.

I enquired about this in person and the helpdesk assistant was unclear about why they were taking some monies back. He did offer to look into it for me and did call me back to explain.

Because of the band change they had overpaid me on a refund as a student only exemption for 9 months. They took that back but it took some explaining and working out. The 2nd officer who helped me did a manual letter for me showing the differences. Once this was clear it was easy to see how they were reclaiming. It was the initial bill that omitted the refund that confused me.

Interestingly the help desk assistant had plucked a figure from thing air about the amount of refund I required and the payments I wanted to make for the rest of this year. I also made an appointment to go in and check with him the figures, rather than over the phone. I rearranged my day because he told me he was going to lunch and I chose a time convenient for him. He didn't keep that appointment and pretended it was a different time I had arranged. This was a bit naughty.

That had to be cleared up and I got to see someone who works in Customer Accounts who was really nice and supportive. I elected to receive all the money back and pay regular monthly payments for the rest of the year. However, they do try to persuade you otherwise but I can understand why from their point of view.

They tell you the system is never wrong! However, it is often in need of an update, or a discussion to agree the amount of refund.

After you get a revised bill from Walsall MBC go in and double check the figures and ask for someone from Customer Accounts to do you a manual letter detailing the differences between bands from year to year. This is very helpful and clears up any issues you might have.

The figure wasn't as high as I expected in the end, but it was a good result all the same and will really help me this year. It is a shame that some Walsall MBC staff seek to avoid questions. I can only assume he spoke to his supervisor and told them I was a problem and got permission to hide. Bless him!

abeda_2

Barnet council
Band D to C

So I've managed to get the VOA to reband my property; I followed the instructions on this site and it was really straight forward for me, but there has been no mention of getting any money back from the council for over payments. I've been in the wrong band for 20 years so I should be owed something right?

Any advice on how I should proceed? Is it best to call up and speak to someone or is it better to write a letter? in which case, what sort of details should I include?

Any letter templates you have come across would also be very helpful

Thank you!

a18xvm

Leeds City Council
Band before B
Band after A (hopefully)
Refund £1000 (hopefully)
Savings TBA

I have read Martins guide before but never got round to doing it. We had an estate agent round to value our property with the view to moving. The estate agent automatically put on the form that the property was in band A but when I corrected her saying it was band B she said I must be mistaken and asked me to check. I got a council tax bill to show her and she immediately said it was wrong. She said all the one bedroom flats in the area are in band A and it's only the two bedroom flats that are band B. Her advice was to get it changed before putting it on the market.

I contacted the Leeds Valuation Office and they took my name, number and address and said they would call me back. An hour later I got a call saying they have looked at all the properties on the street and cannot justify changing the banding as they are all B or higher. I pointed out that there were no properties the same as mine (1bedroom flat) on my street. I gave him a list of 1 bedroom flats that were in a band A and also a list of 2 bedroom flats that were in a B that were on adjoining streets. He said he could only take 4 examples although I had a list of 14!!!! After giving him a description of the property he said that he may need to get someone to come out and have a look. He said that I would receive a letter within 2 weeks confirming the dispute and they have a target to resolve the matter within 2 months.

Fingers crossed!

I'll keep you updated

lincroft1710

abeda wrote: »

I've been in the wrong band for 20 years so I should be owed something right?

Any advice on how I should proceed?

Any refund due is usually done automatically by the council after they have received notice of rebanding from the VOA. Be patient as it can take a few weeks.

superflygal

I challenged and got band reduced from E to D!! £300 per year saved! Thanks MSE!

SFG x

East-London-Milwall

Local Borough Council:Havering London Borough
Council Tax Band Before:E
Council Tax Band After D
Amount refunded:3022.66
Annual saving going forward:332.92


thank you very much

[Deleted User]

Ive just noticed our neighbours to next door is in band C, while the rest of us in simular terraced houses are in band D.
Is it worth trying to get into band C, thus getting a refund?
Thanks.