MSE Blog: Battle of the bands … my council tax band success

Former_MSE_Guy

Hi all, this is a thread to discuss the MSE blog:
Battle of the bands … my council tax band success

"Thanks to 15 minutes of checking, and a quick email, I’ve reclaimed a wodge of cash I shouldn’t have had to pay out in the first place..."

poundshillingpence_2

We queried the fact that our house was in the same band as the house next door, although that one had been extended to twice the size, plus had a drive at the side, with off street parking Result? The valuation office said that the house next door, sold for a lot of money in 2005, should be in a much higher band - and, possibly, ours should go up a band too! They did go on to say, generously, that our house would 'probably' stay in the same band, although they noted with unhealthy interest the price that we had paid for our house one year ago. Months later, the current year's council tax bills have been issued, but no change on the website. Worryingly, both halves of the semi now have a red 'i' (for improvements), in the list of street bands.

cathodetube

poundshillingpence wrote: »

We queried the fact that our house was in the same band as the house next door, although that one had been extended to twice the size, plus had a drive at the side, with off street parking Result? The valuation office said that the house next door, sold for a lot of money in 2005, should be in a much higher band - and, possibly, ours should go up a band too! They did go on to say, generously, that our house would 'probably' stay in the same band, although they noted with unhealthy interest the price that we had paid for our house one year ago. Months later, the current year's council tax bills have been issued, but no change on the website. Worryingly, both halves of the semi now have a red 'i' (for improvements), in the list of street bands.

Well that is very unnerving isn't it! The VOA office is supposed to be separate but I don't think it is. I appealed a valuation on my property which would have meant that many many others would have been in the wrong band and it has been rejected, for no good reason that I can see. I found valuations for sold houses that are the same as mine in 1995 - prices between £60k - £65k) and they were much lower than the band D's level, (the level that houses were put in in 1991) by up to 6,000 in once case. The valuations were done in 1991 and there was a slump in property market then so I can't understand why this is not taken into account. The valuation officer said I was not allowed to see what other properties sold for in 1991 in the area, and that the Freedom of Information Act would not override that. Sounds very fishy to me.

Evidently I can appeal somewhere but the VO appeared to warn me that he didn't think I had enough of a reason to!