Council Tax Rebanding SUCCESS stories

Kevh3835

Local Borough Council: Derwentside (Durham)
Council Tax Band Before: C
Council Tax Band After: B
Amount refunded: £1100
Annual saving going forward: £165

One letter, one form, 2 phone calls....and sorted. It was a borderline case but i own the property outright and had evidence of all the sales agreed since built in 1969.

The Council admitted verbally that they had valued the house as part of an estate, but took no notice of the fact that my house, like a dozen or so others, was slightly different to the others.

I'd have to say that the contact who dealt with this case was incredibly helpful and i had no problem in resolving it.

woods007

Council:
Council tax band before: E
Council tax band after: D
Amount refunded £2300
Annual difference: £350

Having had doubts for the past 10 years that our council tax banding was incorrect, I was spurred into action on reading your website.

As you suggested, I used the internet to research the bandings of similar properties nearby. Our "estate" was built 10 years ago in two phases, Properties similar to ours but built in phase 1, were banded as D whereas ours and three neighbouring properties (built in phase 2) were banded E.

I also used the Nationwide online calculator to "backdate" the value of our house when purchased in 1998, to its value in 1991.

Both these pieces of evidence strongly suggested that our property was incorrectly banded. Thus I wrote to the District Valuation office and within 4 weeks our banding had been reduced and we received 10 years of overpayment! NOT ONLY THIS BUT OUR THREE NEIGHBOURS WERE AUTOMATICALLY REBANDED ALSO!!!!

A huge thank you to Martin for your website advice. How many more people are overpaying and are not aware??

Karen

Beees

Local Borough Council: South Bedfordshire
Band before: C
Band after: B
Amount refunded: awaiting council's reply
Annual saving: see above

My partner and I had to fight the full nine yards to achieve our re-banding, so I'd like to emphasise that some of the stories on here may make it look simpler than it actually is. We appealed within a month of moving into our flat, stunned that we were paying such extortionate rates for a 2 bedroom flat with no lift, garden, garage or fire escape in a fairly grotty area. The valuation officer we spoke to was no help at all, just pretty much parroted the party line. When we sent in evidence of house prices and calculations using the Halifax House Price Index, they just sent back a standard template letter rubbishing the evidence. However, we stuck to our guns all the way and maintained we would go to tribunal if necessary. They sent us endless letters checking we still intended to come to the tribunal, all of which I feel is kind of a tactic to intimidate you into dropping the case. I would say, DON'T. It's exactly what they want you to do.
It was worth taking the day off work to go and present our evidence at the hearing and I could see on the day that the panel sympathised with us and were very critical of the VOA's methods of banding us (I live in a complex of about 100 flats and they've clearly just stood outside them and said 'Those are all Cs', no valuation officer ever came to look round our flat). One of the stunning things that came out was that SEVENTY FIVE properties in our area our under review, including some of the ones that were used as a basis for comparison for ours. We maintained that none of the properties they quoted were alike enough or near enough to our flat to be comparable, maintained that the HHPI IS a good method for calculating what our flat would've cost in 1991 (when it wasn't built!), and rightly pointed out how can we trust the VOA's evidence when they are using properties as evidence which are themselves are under review?
guess the panel saw sense as we got the letter yesterday saying we are now a B and will be refunded the difference as well as getting a new payment schedule within the next four weeks.

My advice would be:
- Don't take no for an answer. The VOA will try to fob you off endlessly, they will say you haven't got a case, they will rubbish your methods and evidence. Ignore them; remember they are paid to try and get you to go away!
-Do your research. If the VOA give local properties in the same band for comparison, go and see them, note their details, and build a case for why your property isn't similar enough.
-Get all the data, statistics, sale prices you can. Let nothing come as a surprise.
-You have a right to the tribunal - so use it to your advantage and go to it, if they won't give in. It costs you nothing except your travel costs (and the day off work, but hey!), is pretty small and informal, and is your chance to challenge the people ripping you off. If you fail to turn up they will throw the case out, and even if you notify them you're not coming and submit your evidence in writing, I still think you just won't be able to represent yourself as well. So GO to the tribunal!
- They are obliged to hear your case within 6 months of lodging the appeal. It's a long time but don't give up.

My experience has shown me the VOA's methods are deeply flawed and there are probably countless misbanded properties out there that they hope will just get swept under the carpet. Don't let them get away with it. Give them a hard time and pursue it to the end. Once I get my refund I intend to inform everyone in the 100+ flats in my complex of my success, to give the VOA as much aggro as they have given me over the last six months!

Johnka_2

Johnka wrote: »

I challenged our banding after speaking to our neighbour who is in an identical house to mine. He told me he is in Band D, I am in Band E. I was told by the VOA that I was out of the time limit to challenge. I did not leave it there and after filling in two letters I have now been dropped down to Band D. Now I am waiting to hear from my Council. This Band goes back to 1993.

I am still waiting to hear from our council. Another two weeks and they will be hearing form me. I will not give up.:cool:

Yaffle_II

Local Borough Council: Wolverhampton
Council Tax Band Before: B
Council Tax Band After: A
Amount refunded: £TBA
Annual saving going forward: £156.92

After 2 refusals I submitted a comprehensive dossier putting together every scrap of info I thought would help prove our case, and it worked. Thanks to all those that posted on this and the other council tax forum for ideas and inspiration as they finally caved in and changed our banding, although they still said they thought we were borderline when the tax came into force. Please dont give up after being refused, especially if you have a cast-iron case, they will give in in the end. It has been backdated to April 93 and we have lived here since Oct 93 so it will be a nice little bonus when we receive the refund :beer:

Yaffle II

claraman

I claimed for my Dad. I rang

claraman

I claimed for my Dad. I rang the valuations office. Spoke to the chap for 10 mins.

KerrChingg!!! Today the Council announced they would be refunding £1800.

thankyou martin.

rockety

Edinburgh Council

Old band G
New Band F
Repaid £3700:T
annual saving £344
Despite appealing in 1993 and being told our banding was correct I followed your simple instructions on the 29th Feb and last week received a cheque for £3700!! Thank you Martin:T

crankie1uk

My enthusiasm to challenge my council tax banding was being stimulated by MSE, to the extent that I looked around the local area at similar houses and checked their bands. However within a month of doing this we had a letter from the VOA saying that our banding was incorrect changing from D to C, with an effective date in 1993. Within two weeks we got a refund of over £1600!:j

sharrison01

when i moved in to my flat last june, i looked on my council's website to find out my band was E when the flat below me was in band C!

it is a two story house split into two flats so they are exactly the same size...

On making a claim to the council tax valuations service (VOA), Bexley council moved my band down to C saving me £400 per year and the previous owner got a cheque for £2500, something i found out when they dropped off 2 cases of wine as a thank you to me (bloody nice chap!).

apparently a claim has to be made within 6 months of moving into a property or if you have made changes to a property but from my experience, flats seem an easy way to dispute as a building will generally have flats of similar value but which may be paying different council tax as the banding i think is done on a 1991 valuation so can be unreliable...

hope you have as much luck as me!