Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

saintlin

:j I used Martin's site after seeing the Tonight programme. It seemed to show we were wrongly banded in band C instead of B. In our street properties with one more bedroom than us were the same band as we were and my next door neighbour (same house exactly) was in band B. I also checked the street behind us as they are the same type and the houses the same size as mine were in Band B.
I applied in writing and sent the letter recorded delivery to the assessor for the local authority in my area(Perth & Kinross Council). I didn't get any response and phoned to ask when they would look into it. They told me they had been inundated with enquiries after the programme and I eventually got a visit to have the property checked out. They tried to tell me at first that as it was more than 6 months it was too late to appeal in this way but armed with the knowledge gained through Martin's site I felt confident we had a case.
I have just received a letter today (after quite a few phone calls!) to say they have upheld our claim and our over payment will be backdated to 1 April 1993! It has been passed to the local authority council tax section who work out the amount but I think it will be approx., £2,000.00!! Thanks martin will be using your site from now on what a great feeling it is to get money rather than be paying out all the time.:T

Perth & Kinross Council
Band C
now Band B
pending (approx 2,000.00)
saving this year 150.00

saintlin

As far as I know they should backdate to the date you moved in or give a reason why not. I have just had a letter today confirming mine will be backdated so well worth challenging them!
Good luck

Fletch01

:beer:

Local Borough Council: Tameside, Greater Manchester
Band Before: D
Band After: C
Amount refunded: £1000+ (x2)

I checked my details and they were right, but then checked my relatives and found my brother's house number 65 was band D, as was number 63, but 61 and 67 were corner plots with larger gardens and banded C. i told my brother and he and number 63 successfully appealed, were re-banded C and the cheque is in the post, £750+ each.

Here's the extra bit....

they then checked their water rates (not metered) with number 67 and found they are paying more for that charge too. water rates are based on the rateable value of your house so it follows that if the rateable value goes down so too should your water rates. the paperwork from the re-banding has been used to support their argument, the water company has capitulated and agreed their rates have been overpaid. now my brother and number 61 are expecting a cheque from the water company too!!

many thanks to MSE.

tealady

Council - Birmingham City
Band before - B (thought it was a D!)
Band after - A
Saving - this year will be approx £80 (I only pay 75% rates)

I checked a web site which appeared to shop my house was a band D and my neighbours was an A. I sent off 2 letters and was refused a regrade. Meanwhile 07/08 rates bill arrived showing band B so was happy with that. I cancelled my appeal and was gobsmacked when a week later got a letter re the rebanding to band A backdated to 1993!. Am eagerly awaiting the post now to see what I will get back.

ryangg

I checked my banding with test valley borough council in hampshire and sure enough my neighbour with exactly the same house was a band C and I was a band D.

I looked up the value of my house in 1991 and sure enough it was in the band C category. I thought the worse that can happen if I appeal is that I will stay on the same band.

I followed the appropriate channels layed out on the website and I have just had confirmation that I have been rebanded to a band C. As I have been in the house for five years I am due £850 punds back plus it should be £10 a month cheaper. A result indeed, thank you very much Martin.

I now have the cheque and a council tax reduced by 15 a month

Graham.p_2

Chuffy wrote: »

Mate at work, was band B, now A via Doncaster MBC.
CTax are only backdating band change to 2004 and saying will have to appeal against it. Lived there since 2000.

Anyone got any experience or knowledge of legislation covering this?

They might be relying on the Limitations Act 1980 which you can read HERE I'm no expert but I think they have no hope of relying on it in these circumstances. Also, with all the successes posted on this web site, you could quote "precedent".

I read your post to mean that the Council were refusing to pay further back than 2004 but do you really mean that the Valuation Office is only backdating the revaluation to 2004? If so what reason are they quoting?

scally0407

:T
Local Borough Council: Horsham, West Sussex
Council Tax Band Before: F
Council Tax Band After: E
Amount refunded: just over £2000

How easy was this, one phone call to a very pleasant lady at my area VOA who took my details and then 7 weeks later a letter arrives stating the band had been changed !

After following the guidelines on the website I prepared my case and prepared to make my claim and get ready to respond to the expected rejections (having been in my home for 7 years I was well outside of the six months review period). I found just one neighbour with a house the same as mine that was in band E, the rest were in band F, I used the calculator to work out that the price I paid for the house in 2000, calculated as a band E in 1991 and the price paid by the previous occupants in 1996 also supported this, I discovered that there were houses bigger than mine in the same band but the best bit of all....when I gave my details to the very nice lady, the VOA had my property down as a four bed detached when it should of been down as a three bed....

... the change of band has been sent to the council and I am now waiting on my revised 2007 council tax bill which I have been advised will not require paying due to the rather large credit amount on my account - not quite cash in my hand and of course no interest paid but at least I'm getting it back.:j

stockman52

Local Borough Council: Stockport MBC
Council Tax Band Before: C
Council Tax Band After:B
Amount refunded: just over £1500

Saving for 2007/8 : £150
Following the details on your site I found that an identical house 2 doors away had been in a lower band than ours since 1993.
One phone call to the local VOA and a very helpfull gentleman took my detailss and said he would pass them on.

About 3 weeks later got a reply saying my appeal was successful backdated to 1993. A further phone call to my Council Office revealed that they had just got there letter, it would take about 3 weeks to work back to 1993 and I could either have the amount credited against my bill for 2007/8. Meaning I would not have to pay any money this year and I would have a credit to carry forward to 2008/9
Have decided to take the money and save it

balbs

Local Borough Council: Reading
Council Tax Band Before: F
Council Tax Band After:E
Amount refunded: over 1k
Annual saving going forward:Plenty

Well, never thought it would be so easy - had an advantage as relatively few houses in street - so made the valuation officers job simple by creating a spreadsheet of all the bands in our street and attached it to the official form (including the reference numbers and bands from the valuation site - pity you have to do it one by one!) and pointed out for him the anomoly of a similar extended house to ours having a lower band, whereas we were banded in with a much larger house. So in fact not a lot to argue about really - all done by post in 5 weeks whereas cynical me though it would disappear into a black hole for months (Im going to write to them about a job well done as I think praise where praise due) - so well done Martin firstly, and secondly if you think you are wrongly banded then get moving - I had never thought of it and was really surprised when I saw the bandings in our street - it sort of begs the question - what were they doing in 1991 when the bandings took place?

watchnetman

Herts C.C. (Three Rivers D.C.)
Old Band: e
New Band: d
Rebate:approx.£2600
Saving 2007/8: £300
Just followed the advice on this site and all worked well.