Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

rangers18

:money: Midlothian Council, Scotland
Band c was :mad:
Band B Now :T

£1000 reclaimed

Thanks I was in the process of reclaiming when I first posted, But now the money is in the bank took a bit longer than most members reports. Due to valuation board having to come out and measure my house, what reason i dont know as they could not measure the other cottages!! we are all identical anyway. Then the council took 7 weeks to issue my chq and then decided they would just add one amount to my current bill, no I dont think so, thats not what i requested! so all money £1000 in my account now.

So treating my excited 4 year old to a trip to Disneyland, Paris in a few weeks!! :j

busiscoming2

Local Authority: Medway Council
Band before: C
Band now: B
Amount refunded: £914.00

At first I was worried I'd done it wrong, as had a hearing set for 7th August for an appeal against the invalidity of my claim, which I knew I would loose. But just four days before that date I had a letter saying I'd been rebanded and did I want to cancel the hearing! So don't be put off, just sit tight and wait!

Versatile_08

Local Borough Council: South Bedfordshire
Council Tax Band Before: D
Council Tax Band After: C
Amount refunded: £1522
Annual saving going forward: £170

After finding that I live in a group of 4 virtually identical houses, one was Band C and the other 3 including mine was Band D. I submitted to the local VOA my concerns, and after a few months wait I received the good news, together with the information that the other 2 adjacent houses had also been re-banded.
On receipt of the council cheque I went and :beer:

caterham_2

Local Borough Council: Oxford/Cherwell
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After:D
Amount refunded: £2001 + £285.52 interest
Annual saving going forward: £308

Sent off letter based on fact that 3 identical properties in street were changed from band E to D as of 1993. Also, our house sold for £86,000 when first built in 1992. Included details of houses for sale as of April 1991 of similar size/style properties.

Lady from VOA came out and took measurements and photo of outside.

Letter a couple of weeks later confirming we were in wrong band and were being reduced to band D. Received cheque a couple of weeks later.

Then sent off letter to VOA requesting interest on amount refunded.
We have received a cheque today for interest of £285.52. House opposite to ours was reduced from Band E to D in 1994 on appeal and they said that ours should have been reduced at the same time. As it wasn't and their mistake led to us overpaying Council Tax since buying house in 1999 then we were entitled to interest.
What a result!!

Many thanks to everyone that has contributed to this forum as your advice has helped us to be successful.
Also claimed £129 rebate on Mortgage redemption fees. Holiday here we come!!

:j

ca21981

Local Borough Council: Charnwood
Council Tax Band Before: B
Council Tax Band After: A
Amount refunded: £150
Annual saving going forward: £150

I found the process long and had to phone the local VOE office about 3 times. I wrote the letter to them in March, I got the response from them that they will be downgrading my property to band A in Aug!

Unfortunatly, when I moved into the property in Jun 06, I was not made aware of the right to change the council tax band within the first 6 months of moving!

hetheron_2

Midlothian Council
Was Band E
Now Band D
Refund due

It took 5 months for my Council to agree to my challenge "because of pressure due to Media Interest"
However in July, I was advised of reduction in Band which has now been duly registered.
I subsequently received a pile of 14 re-issued "tax for the year " notices which showed the amount due as if I had been in Band D and set against this, the amount I had paid for each year at the higher rate of Band E.
Each of course showed an overpayment and at the foot of each notice from 1993 to 2006 was a counterfoil to be returned. Of course they tried to have me agree to the refund for each being put into a new Council Tax Account in my name which I assumed future tax due would be withdrawn from until used up but I requested a cheque for the combined total of the 14 years which amounted to a tidy sum of £3512.03 ! :T The curent years liabilty has of course been reduced and my monthly Direct Debit has gone down by £54. Another step in the right direction.

As for the cheque, well I am still waiting for it and have have chased them up by e-mail but so far all I have received is the usual automated reply to the effect that they will deal with it in due course. Not even a reply to my letters.
Interesting point is that no offer of interest is mentioned for all these past years in which they have had the use of my money..and I haven't ..and they are still having the use of it interest free !
However, I won't push my luck ... just live in hope.

Goffer

Borough of Chelmsford
Band E to
Band D

I have just received notice that my Council Tax band has been reduced to that of Band 'D' I have been paying unwittingly Band 'E' since 1991. The valuation officer has informed me that the council have been informed of his decision. Thanks, I now await the final outcome.

desmarbilsam

MSE_Archna wrote: »

This thread is especially for reporting your successes in getting your council tax rebanded plus refunds.

The aim is to show others that it works.

Please report your successes here, if possible in the format:

Local Borough Council:Leeds
Council Tax Band Before:B
Council Tax Band After
Amount refundedWaiting to Hear)
Annual saving going forward:£131

I have lived at my current property, and paid band B Council Tax, for the last 9 years.
Having read Martins' article on this subject, I decided to look into it further. Following the links on this website, I first of all decided to see what Council Tax Band others in my street were in. I was astounded to see that out of 33 identical, ex-Local authority houses in my street, only 6 of us were in band B. All the others were in band A.
Outraged at this, I wrote a letter to our local Valuation Officer and ask for my Council Tax banding to be re-assessed.
Within 2 days, I received a reply from them, acknowledging my letter, saying that they would carryout a re-assessment within 2 months.
Today, less than a month after writting that initial letter, I have received notification that my property has been rebanded to band A. with effect from 1st April 1993!!!!!!
How easy is that? 1 letter, 1 stamp and 1 month. I couldn't believe just how easy it was. I was expecting to have to fight my case but it wasn't necessary. I am now waiting to hear from the council to see what refund I am due.
I would recommend this to everyone in a similar situation and I will definatley be speaking to the other five residents in my street who are still in band B.
Thanks a million Martin - you're a star!!
:beer:

• Read the article
  Council Tax Cashback
• Discuss the issues
  Discussion on Council Tax Cost Cutting

IMPORTANT NOTE! This thread is only to report succcesses

Please note this thread is ONLY for reporting successes/experiences. It isn't for answering questions, discussing what to do, or postulating on the general issues; any posts of that nature will be deleted. If you want to do that please instead go to the Discussion on Council Tax Cost Cutting

Roger_Walker

Just to let you know of our success in having our Council Tax banding changed.

Walsall MBC - Previously Band C - Now Band B - Refund of approx #1500.00.

Took us about 4 attempts as we were met by the proverbial brick wall several times, but it seemed when they realised we were prepared to go to a Tribunal, suddenly (reluctantly!!!) the rebanding was agreed. All thanks to following the guidance here.

Roger & Catherine Walker

susie_potter

District Council: Rother
Council Tax Band before: D
Council Tax Band after: C
Amount refunded:Up to £1300
Annual Saving going forward: £159.14

Although I always thought we were in the wrong band, I hadn't bothered to do anything about it before, because until about 5 years ago I was claiming benefits and not paying any Council Tax. I was spurred into action by Martin discussing the issue on Radio 2, and sent an open letter to 6 of my neighbours who have almost identical properties and were also in band D, inviting them to lodge their own objections. I knew we had a strong case when one of my neighbours told me what they had paid for their house only 2 weeks before the valuations were done,and when I discovered from the VOA website that the eighth house in our 'row' had already been reduced to a C!

After an initial written rebuff from the Valuation Officer, who claimed to have evidence in support of the band allocated, I rang to appeal and asked him to review his "evidence". He rang me back 10 minutes later to say that he had made a mistake and I was quite right in my assertion that we should be band C.

All 7 of us in band D have now received letters to say that we have been re-allocated to band C backdated to 1993, and we will all receive rebates of up to £1300! My own rebate will be just shy of £500, but it has been well worth the effort (and I'm very popular with my neighbours!).