Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

Happybunny19

Council Bolton
Was Band E
Now Band D
Backdated to 1991
Refund £9,300 (yes)
Savings going forward circa £500/yr

Put a lot of effort into providing information to VOA. Primarily by comparison with neighbouring properties. Hunted through estate agents' particulars online. Detailed measurements and comparisons of dimensions using Google Earth tool. The VOA initially confirmed they would look at it, and then took a further 7 months to pronounce in our favour. Only responded after I made a formal complaint. The VOA specify the effective date of the re-banding. 
The town council have behaved well, and within a week or so had written to us with the calculated overpayments, and the promise of a refund. 

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Cardew

Happybunny19 said:

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Unless your band should be higher!!

How many thousand properties have had extensions etc that should put them in a higher band?

Welcome to the forum.

The_Flying_Monkey

Cardew said:

Happybunny19 said:

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Unless your band should be higher!!

How many thousand properties have had extensions etc that should put them in a higher band?

Welcome to the forum.

I'm still waiting for a reply with it being 10 months & counting.
Anyway, I was told by VOA that properties that have had extensions/enlargement are marked & upon sale their tax is reaccessed.
I have a property in my road that has substantial work done to make the sq footage bigger & has just been sold. The buyers are in for a shock as estate agent advertised it as a band B.

Cardew

The_Flying_Monkey said:

Cardew said:

Happybunny19 said:

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Unless your band should be higher!!

How many thousand properties have had extensions etc that should put them in a higher band?

Welcome to the forum.

Anyway, I was told by VOA that properties that have had extensions/enlargement are marked & upon sale their tax is reaccessed.

Well I know personally of two re-sold properties where this hasn't happened. One an almost derelict cottage in an acre and got full planning permission for a 7 bed detached.

If your VOA contact is correct the owner could massively extend and upgrade and remain living in the property for 30 years (i.e. not sell it) and remain at the low band. 

lincroft1710

Cardew said:

The_Flying_Monkey said:

Cardew said:

Happybunny19 said:

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Unless your band should be higher!!

How many thousand properties have had extensions etc that should put them in a higher band?

Welcome to the forum.

Anyway, I was told by VOA that properties that have had extensions/enlargement are marked & upon sale their tax is reaccessed.

Well I know personally of two re-sold properties where this hasn't happened. One an almost derelict cottage in an acre and got full planning permission for a 7 bed detached.

If your VOA contact is correct the owner could massively extend and upgrade and remain living in the property for 30 years (i.e. not sell it) and remain at the low band. 

If the derelict cottage was sold, the new owner was the one who built and occupied the 7 bed house then the band cannot be increased.

The_Flying_Monkey

Cardew said:

The_Flying_Monkey said:

Cardew said:

Happybunny19 said:

If you are in the wrong band, you must challenge!

Unless your band should be higher!!

How many thousand properties have had extensions etc that should put them in a higher band?

Welcome to the forum.

Anyway, I was told by VOA that properties that have had extensions/enlargement are marked & upon sale their tax is reaccessed.

Well I know personally of two re-sold properties where this hasn't happened. One an almost derelict cottage in an acre and got full planning permission for a 7 bed detached.

If your VOA contact is correct the owner could massively extend and upgrade and remain living in the property for 30 years (i.e. not sell it) and remain at the low band. 

That's what has happened with 2 properties in my street.

joanne__rose

Hi, there's been some great success stories on here, which is very encouraging.  I do have some questions before I look into challenging my council tax band and it would be great if anyone could help please.

1. My house was a new build in 2000 and I think there tends to be a "new build premium" when buying a brand new house compared to buying a house previously occupied.  Does a higher initial premium/purchase price of a property impact the council tax band?   

2. There are no other similar size house built at the same time but there are similar sized older houses nearby - how do I manage a fair comparison?

3. I bought the house 2nd hand in 2002 when it was 12 months old, and the price I paid on Right Move is understated by £50k.  I did contact the HM Land Registry about this years ago, but nothing has been updated and it's still wrong on the land registry website.  Would the lower (wrongly stated) value from 2002 impact any appeal of the council tax band?   Will the lower (wrongly stated) value from 2002 impact the selling price for the property in the future?

Thanks for any advice offered

lincroft1710

joanne__rose said:

Hi, there's been some great success stories on here, which is very encouraging.  I do have some questions before I look into challenging my council tax band and it would be great if anyone could help please.

1. My house was a new build in 2000 and I think there tends to be a "new build premium" when buying a brand new house compared to buying a house previously occupied.  Does a higher initial premium/purchase price of a property impact the council tax band?   

2. There are no other similar size house built at the same time but there are similar sized older houses nearby - how do I manage a fair comparison?

3. I bought the house 2nd hand in 2002 when it was 12 months old, and the price I paid on Right Move is understated by £50k.  I did contact the HM Land Registry about this years ago, but nothing has been updated and it's still wrong on the land registry website.  Would the lower (wrongly stated) value from 2002 impact any appeal of the council tax band?   Will the lower (wrongly stated) value from 2002 impact the selling price for the property in the future?

Thanks for any advice offered

1. Difficult to say as individual VOA offices may have had a different approach. By 2000, CT bands were becoming well established so your house would have been compared with 1980s/90s builds of a similar size and type in the area. !960s/70s houses may also have been used.


2. Look at 1960s to 1990s houses.


3. VOA do not use RM prices, they may have had regard to the original 2000 sale price. I doubt the VOA would look at the 2002 price if they carried out a band review. £50,000 out of context is meaningless, on a £250,000 house it is a significant percentage, on a £1,000,000 house less so. It would be in your best interests to contact the LR again and ask them to correct the error.


After nearly 25 years why do you think your band is incorrect? You will have to give reasons and provide either sales or banding evidence otherwise the VOA will issue a generic "computer says no" response 

caeler

Local Borough Council: Somerset
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded: £3550
Annual saving going forward: £600pa

I heard the outcome yesterday having put in my challenge last September.  I wasn't confident I'd succeed but I did have example similar sized neighbouring properties on the lower band and where I live properties simply did not sell for the starting range of Band D in 1991 so I made a list of available property sales from the early 90s with what similar sized homes were selling for.  I'm very pleased with the outcome. 

MarcRuse

Local Council: Dorset County Council
Council Tax Band Before: F
Council Tax Band After: E
Amount refunded: £6,260
Annual saving going forward: c£1,000 pa

First raised with VOA in August 2024 on behalf of my mother in law, refund received May 2025.  Council have stated that "Live Records" only go back to April 2010 so have declined to refund the period from 2000 when she first moved into property.  I intend to pursue - anyone know how?