Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

Kjp06

I applied for rebanding back in August and forgot all about it until a phone call last week asking for some details about our property. Then through the door Monday came a big pile of recalculated council tax bills all the way back to 2006!
Band Before. E
Band now. D
Refunded: over £3700
Saving going forward: £393.88

A quick search on the gov website showed that my house was 2 band higher than those around me. My house is slightly different style to those so I looked at one around the corner almost identical which was also 2 bands lower. So I went for it. Really straight forward process and most definetly worth the wait for the end result which has been deposited in my bank today

Thanks MSE

W_Clifton

Local Borough Council: Birmingham
Council Tax Band Before: F
Council Tax Band After: E
Amount refunded: £2054
Annual saving going forward: £90ish

Following Martins step by step process was very simple in helping to identify that we were in the wrong tax band. When I called the Valuation office they went through some questions regarding my property and those of similar build surrounding me. I not only looked at my street but the next one up aswell with the same houses which strengthened my case. They confirmed passed criteria to be refered to council and got a call yesterday from local council to confirm wrong band and the refund due. Thank you Martin for helping us!

The_Magnificent_Spoon

I've just contacted the valuation office (via the online form) asking for a revaluation. My property is in band C, but I believe it should be A (B at most):

I purchased the property (build in 2004) just a couple of years ago for only £106k. Its not an expensive property - interest calcuation puts this at approximately £38k value in 1991, band A.

All the other properties in my block are band B, except for mine and one other. They are all approximately the same value. (as confirmed by all recent sold prices).

Apartments in the two other blocks next to ours are all band A, except for the larger 3 bedroomed, more expensive apartments, which are all band B.

All properties in the same area/town as ours, of the same value, are all band A, with a few band B.

Hopefully it will be a good result - I'll update when I hear back!

ctsoton

Having a bit of a nightmare with my council tax banding, the VOA already rejected my claim a few years ago. Have just got them to take another look at it.


I bought a 1 bed 600sq ft apartment in July 2015 for £144k. It is in Band B


This is the same band as the 2 x 700 sq ft 2 bed apartments above me that sold for £175k.

And also the same as 2-3 bed houses as big as 946sq foot on the same development that sold for £220k-£230k!



I sent the council scans of the marketing brochure for the development which show the layouts, sizes and tax bands, but they've said I need different/better evidence.

What's stranger is that most of the houses are Band B except for a couple, which despite being identical to their neighbours are on Band C!

Cathcart

After 14 years and 3 appeals with a Data Information Request after last decline and further request for review the VOA have re-banded our house from a D to a C after increasing it after we moved in.:j:j

MissBoss

Local Council: Glasgow
Band before appeal: E
Band after appeal: D
Amount refunded: £7,736
Annual amount saved going forward: £500

After listening to Martin talk about checking your council tax banding, I went onto Glasgow City Council’s website. I found out that a lot of the houses in our estate that are exactly the same as ours, were a band lower than what our house was. I decided to make an appeal and after the assessor came out and looked at our property, we received a letter to say our Council Tax banding was being dropped from an E to a D. We have lived in our house for 24 years so have just received a refund for our overpayment. The amount we have had refunded is only the overpayment but I will be writing to ask for interest on this amount as the council have been charging me wrongly over a long period of time. I’m sure if I owed them money for that long, they wouldn’t accept just the bottom figure.

lincroft1710

MissBoss wrote: »

The amount we have had refunded is only the overpayment but I will be writing to ask for interest on this amount as the council have been charging me wrongly over a long period of time. I’m sure if I owed them money for that long, they wouldn’t accept just the bottom figure.

I am not certain about Scottish CT legislation, but as English CT legislation makes no reference to paying interest on refunded overpayments, English councils will not pay such interest and could be criticised by the auditors if they did so.

gloscherrybomb

Local Council: Cheltenham
Band before appeal: D
Band after appeal: C
Amount refunded: TBC (circa £250)
Annual amount saved going forward: Circa £300

I'm band D, but after a search noticed that the other side of my semi-detached was a band C, despite being extended. I noticed there were a number of other houses on my street that were also a C.

I called the valuation office (premium number, long time on hold!) and spoke to a very nice man from Newcastle who said I definitely had a case - he asked for the number of the house next door, and 3 other examples on my road.

Just 2 weeks later, I have had a letter from the Valuation office stating that I have been rebanded to a C. Apparently the local council have been informed, so now just waiting for the adjustment and refund!

I have only been in the property since April last year, so not a biggy, but the people here before were paying the wrong band for 26 years!

lincroft1710

gloscherrybomb wrote: »

I have only been in the property since April last year, so not a biggy, but the people here before were paying the wrong band for 26 years!

If you have their new address/phone no, contact them so they can claim back the overpayment.

AuntSal

Local Council: Maidstone
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded : £4800
Amount saved going forward: N/A

So we found out on moving out of our property we had been over paying for 15 years. All our neighbours identical homes were in D whilst we were E. Did both the voa check and the sale price check and still showing we should be Band D. Wrote to VOA who refused to communicate us as we no longer lived at the property but told us they would review anyway. Logged in every week for two months to watch for changes - last week it was lowered to Band D! Wrote to council and got a refund within 3 days! So the moral here is, EVEN if you no longer live at the property it is worth a try.:j