Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

tazza_2

Local Authority - Northampton
Original Banding - C
Revised Banding - B
Amount refunded -(tba approx 1400.00)
Annual Saving Going forward - 142.15

Just a very BIG thankyou to Martin and the team.
Probably like most people I felt the council tax banding unfair, but accurate.
I would never have questioned it without this website.
I purchased my new property in late 1998, a new house surrounded by old victorian properties. Yet the banding was the same - all band c - through this site I decided to question this based on the difference in sizes of the properties.
One phone call to my local valuation office, giving details of my property and reason for querying the band revealed that the new properties had never been banded/valued, just given the same band as the surrounding properties.

It has taken approx 7 weeks, but I have just got off the phone to the valuation office who inform me my banding has already changed as of yesterday to a band B property. The letter is in the post and so is the Councils letter and they expect me to recieve a full refund of overpayment since 1998 within the next 2 weeks.
I have already checked Martins link to banded properties and YES, it has changed to band B!!!!

So Thankyou. It was extremely easy and I recommend anyone who feels their banding is wrong to fully investigate through these links and when happy, proceed with that phone call.:money: :T :j

Braindead

Local Borough Council: Derby
Council Tax Band Before: D
Council Tax Band After: C
Amount refunded: £1,295
Annual saving going forward: £300 approx

Many thanks for the information provided - it was invaluable.

We live in a linked detached house i.e. two houses linked
by their garages. The houses are identical except we have
an eight square meter kitchen extension.

Using your links I found my neighbour was band C and I
was band D.

I knew what we paid for the house in 1988 and was fairly sure
could not have gone up by over 60% by 1991 so I decided to
go for it.

I checked the banding of all the houses around me and even
used https://www.local.live.com to check arial photos of the streets
around me.

I sent a compelling case to the VOA as well as filling in their
appeal form. I was totally honest (the best way!) and explained
we had the extension.

Within two months I was notified of a successful appeal and
within two weeks of that the council put £1,295 directly into my bank
account and didn’t tell me before hand. I like surprises like that

You’ll be glad to know I used the money to clear some debt.

Once again, thanks!

Truroboy

Local Council: Caradon District Council
Council Tax Band Before: C
Council Tax Band After: B
Amount Refunded: £1039.99


This was so easy. Followed the links given and found that my next door neighbour was Band B and I was Band C yet our houses are identical.
Filled in form from the Valuation Officer after an initial telephone conversation.
Two months later received a letter re-banding me to B (Not even a visit from them) and a week later the cheque arrived from Caradon. The annual ongoing benefit should be in the region of £135 per annum

Now have Windows Vista and a wide screen monitor

Thanks once again Martin not only for this but for all the other tips:

verybigbadwolf

Local Borough Council : Worcester City
Band before : C
Band after : B
Refund £ 995
Annual saving about £150 this coming 2007/8

Many thanks, nobody ever bothered to tell us that "composite" meant that our flat and the shop below were deemed as the same entity as far as council tax went!! When I pointed that we, in fact, had absolutely nothing to do with the shop, we were a sent a cheque for £995 covering our overpayments since the month we moved in nearly 10 years ago!! No quibbles, no problems, all very straight forward really. I hope this will be helpful to others, especially the sceptics like my lovely wife! Thanks again from us both....

bailey29_2

We live in Mole Valley Council area, we were band F we are now band E and got just over £1200 refunded and it saves us about £30 a month, my dad looked at all the figures for us and I sent a letter as worded on the website (having previously been refused a rebanding) and we won......thank you!

square-eyes

I have just been turned down by the Reigate valuation office. I got a two page review. I still think my valuation is marginal but they would not give me the benefit of the doubt. They have been snowed under with applications for re-valuation so perhaps they have decided to turn everyone down.
I did print off the list for the whole of my road. There are some glaring errors but it seems you cannot use these to bolster your case.
I am not sure where I can go from here unless I can find a reason for appeal.

brina

Local Borough Council : Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Band before : E
Band after : D
Refund £ 629 - (back to when we moved in 2003)
Annual saving about £130 ish this coming 2007/8

Very easy, followed the steps set out by Martin and received the money direct into our bank account within 8 weeks! Thank you for the tips :T , have passed this info on to others and have been roped into helping them get theirs rebanded too!

rosebud60

Thanks to your TV work and web site I have now been able to get my house re banded from C to B. Your tips and advice section are invaluable to anyone about to undertake this task.
I had to submit several letters, and eventually compiled my own 5 page illustrated report. I am now awaiting a response from my local council with regard to any refund I may be entitled to.

Keep up the good work

hamster_rocks

Council - West Dumbartonshire
Banding - C
Rebanded - B backdated to 1993
Refund - £1700

I live in a block of 15 flats of which there only 3 were band C, I had bought my house in 1991 so I already knew the value fell in Band B.
I submitted my proposal 29/01/07 and got a letter back 07/02/07 stating that the proposal was invalid. I wrote back challenging this on the 18/02/07 and then received a phone call followed by a letter confirming that my Band would be altered to Band B, 20/02/07.
I have received a new Council Tax bill (saving £200) for this year but I am still waiting on the rebate because of the number of re-bandings that have happened in my area!:mad:
The woman at the council blamed that guy Martin Lewis :money:

I have also pass the info onto my neighbour a Senior Citizen and he has also been re-banded from C to B.

malc22

Council- Macclesfield
Banding-C
Rebanding-B back dated 1993
Refund-£1600

I have just applied and got a rebanding from C to B, recieved a letter from council saying i will be back dated to 1993 although there is no provision for interest on said amount, surely i am entitled to interest on my money that the council has had for the last 14 years, Has any one got any suggestions what i should do next. I have phoned the council, and spoke to one of the finance officals, who was quite rude over the phone. Please "Help".