Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

wfarrar

Local Borough Council: Wakefield
Council Tax Band Before: C
Council Tax Band After: B
Amount refunded: £364
Annual saving going forward: approx £100

The valuation Office changed our banding from a C to a B with no quibbles and we got a refund of £364 going back to 2003. However, we have been in our property since 1995, and the Valuation Office revalued our property rating as effective from 1995, so I have subsequently written back to the Council asking why we've only got a 3 year refund. Fingers crossed!

Maisie

Shouldn't some of these posts be on the council tax discussion thread NOT on Success and Failures thread?

You're more likely to get help and advice from some very knowledgable people over on Discussion thread.

saver195893

Thanks a thousand Martin!!

I Have just received the good news that I am to recieve a rebate in my council tax.

All down to Martin's advice. The process was simplicity itself. After checking the websites I discovered my neighbours house was in a band lower than mine. I live in a semi detached house and my neighbours house is identical to mine and the pair are a different design to the other houses in my road.

One telephone call to the valuation office and all sorted out in one month, easy!!

Local Borough Council: Hyndburn
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded: Estimated £2,000
Annual saving going forward:Estimated £250
:T :T :T

ianM_3

We have just had notification from our council of a £2685 refund - many thanks. We checked up after you first post and we were in the wrong band compared to identical houses. Our neighbour is also waiting for his refund notification.
I think they were in 3rd gear when they did our houses!

Thanks - a very happy Ian & Sandra:j

ianM_3

Local Borough Council: South Staffordshire
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded: £2685.34
Annual saving going forward: £295.30

jennynoo

Local Borough Council: Lambeth
Council Tax Band Before: C
Council Tax Band After: B
Refunded: £220

I was renting and had been in the flat for a year and a half before I saw Martin's article. When I checked the website I saw that two flats in my building were B and the rest (out of 12) were C but all the flats were the same! Even though I was over the 6 months and got repeated letters saying they wouldn't change the band I just waited - didn't have to do anything more than that - and eventually they changed the band and refunded my money. :T I wrote to everyone in my building who was still band C but don't know if they took it up. No one thanked me but I don't live there anymore so maybe they can't contact me. Someone is very kindly dropping off my post though, so thanks to that person if you are out there! :beer:

JACKCO

Local borough Birmingham
Council Tax Band Before D
Council Tax Band After C
no mention of refund in letter

easy to do because I did it hope I get a refund
JACKCO:T

cushty

Local Council: North Kesteven District Council, Lincs
Council Band before: D
Council Band after: C
No mention of a refund in the letter, but as it said that the rebanding would be backdated from April 1993 I am living in hope and checking out air ticket prices to Australia to visit my son!

I will also be taking copies of my letter round to all my neighbours!

Thank you soo much Martin - in total we are now around £6,500 better off since receiving your emails - it has made a tremendous difference to our lives.

Andrea

Ritadita

Council North Lincolnshire
Band D
Band C
Refunded £75

Only moved to this address in July 2006, I did think about challenging this when I first moved in, but as there was so much to do I forgot all about it, then I received one of Martin's emails and thought why not.
It was so easy I just followed the lincs from this site and filled in some forms, just before xmas I got a letter saying I had won, saving me £150 a year. :money:
It really is worth taking the time to do this.

Maryo_3

wardmw wrote:

Local Borough Council: Hillingdon, Middlesex.
Council Tax Band Before: E
Council Tax Band After: D
Amount refunded: £1,700

Thankfully it was simplicity itself to get this sorted out.

Having looked in the council tax banding website I found out that my semi-detached was in band E whilst the semi-detached next door was in band C.
Since the maisonettes on the other side of my house were also band C I figured there was an issue. It took about four phone calls to find the right group to speak to, but once I did they were very helpful. They explained roughly how long it would take (four to six weeks) and how I would be notified (by letter).

In about five weeks I got a letter explaining that my house was being re-banded to D and a small leaflet explaining that if I owed them money I would have to pay it straight away, but no mention was made of if they owed me. I telephoned them to discuss it and was told that the cheque was in the post, and lo' and behold a couple of days later it appeared!

Thanks Hillingdon for the cash and thanks Martin for the information!

|\/|artin

Who did you speak to? I'm having a battle with Hillingdon - the Valuation Officer (based in Harrow) has said I'm out of time so my proposal is invalid