Valuation Tribunal Query

kitty82_2

Hi, i hope this is the right place and that someone will be able to help me.

I've recently moved into a two bedroom flat, which is currently council tax band E - £1600 a year. So i've appealed to the local valuation office, (which was easy enough because i've been there less than 6 months), but they have now come back saying that they believe the banding is correct.

They've asked me to sign a form if i want to drop the appeal, otherwise i can let it proceed to a Valuation Tribunal. I'm a little concerned about this, and was wondering does anyone know if i let my case go to the valuation tribunal and i lose, do i have to pay the costs? Or do i have to pay even if i win?

hope someone can help me.

many thanks

hodgester

the valuation tribunal is a free service. you meet your own costs. there is no power made available to the bench to award costs against a losing party.

should be on the freebies board really :-)

PamBee

You just don't get anywhere with the Valuation Officer. I've followed all Martin's steps to get my Council Tax reduced. Found several similiar houses in the same road on a lower band, even sent pictures of these houses. Got 1991 valuations, and an actual sale price which supports my claim. Now it's going to the Tribunal, but we're told it's not to see if we have a case, but to see if it falls within the criteria laid down. As the Valuation Officer has already rejected it because it doesn't fall within the 6 months of moving in. We're just about ready to admit defeat. Our band is obviously incorrect but it seems we're getting nowhere in trying to get it put right.

moonrakerz

Fear not !

My Valuation Office rejected my appeals and appeals against rejection etc, etc.

I was given a date to attend a tribunal, if I wished (I did !). About three weeks before the Tribunal date I had a letter from the VOA saying my Council Tax band had been reduced as they had discovered a "clerical error " in the original valuation !!!!

rigpa

Hi, I'm new so please forgive any error! I appealed my band (B). I am in a Housing Association house. My appeal centered around the reason for building the property in the first place. Local residents, who were born in the village, were being forced out and away from their families because London commutors got wind of the place and began to move in, thus shooting up the house prices. Our 10 properties were built especially with low affordable rents for village only residents so we could afford to remain here. Incidently we will never be able to purchase (so they will never go on the open market) and we will never get the right to acquire. The whole point of their construction was to enable village resisdents to always have an option to rent affordable housing. The VOA say that by law, to obtain the correct banding they must go by what the dwelling would have sold for on Apr91. For a start this would never happen as they cannot be sold and also there are no other properties like mine in the village - anything remotely similar is expensive because of the extortionate prices created by the commutors (which were the original reason for our properties being built in the first place!) Therefore my council tax is almost the same as my rent! I really feel strongly about this and would love to know if I can appeal further to someone - anyone! I would be so grateful for some advise.

cattie

I'm intrigued as to why would you want to appeal against a B banding? Aren't you afraid that you could be moved into a higher band?

Band B sounds like absolute heaven to me.

tarinilie

Living in a house in commuting distance from London and being in band B with rent to match -Is your rent summit like £100 a month?

crikey I'd be surprised if the VOA would consider dropping it to an A band . Do you think an A band would be fair ???

I'm renting and i'm paying about £800 a month and I'm no where near London!!

rigpa

Gosh, please dont think I'm ungrateful for my band and I am so sorry to hear the costs some of you are having to pay, but please dont let this cloud my particular query. I dont worry about it being put up a band because the VOA have been out to assess the place and have told me that they are happy I am in the right band. My angst comes from the fact that we have grown up in this village and for years it was a forgotten backwater so you couldnt give houses away. Then a few people moved down from London and word spread that it had a train service and a main road nearby (London 40miles). Slowly but surely the house prices began to rocket.The locals couldnt afford these high prices so our affordable rent properties were built. Because of the location and house prices in 91 council tax is high here - I guess because most people are loaded and can easily afford it. For a basic 3 roomed property (small bedroom, tiny bathroom and minute kitchin in the living room) my council tax, even in band B is 110 and my rent is only 200! Of course I am happy to be paying such low rent (despite the size of the property and its condition) but that was the whole point of the build. My incredulity is that because of the way the law is set out I have a council tax that nearly matches it. All I want to know is if there is anywhere else I can now appeal to? Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. And once again I truly feel for those of you paying such high rents. As I said ours was fixed under special conditions - some agreement with the local council because they couldnt build any more council houses - so I beg you wont hold this against me.

tarinilie

sure I see what you say but you are really asking whether there is an appeal mechansim to reduce your band B to a band A .

I just think it would be very difficult to convince anyone that a small house within commuting distance from London can ever justify being banded A . It's rare to get flats in proximity to London being banded as such . Band A appears to be mostly right at the end of the spectrum in less expensive areas away from the capital.

I just think you will have a hard job and might be wasting your time.

Of course I don't know what similar sized properties in the area sold for in 1991 . Finding such dwellings which sold on the open market for less than 40k is the only way, in my opinion, that you have a chance of success.

tarin

helpful123

I have had my request rejected who do you actually apeal to for the tribunal and how do you apply / what are the forms / costs ??

Poppycat

I moved house in 1st Feb I was on Band C. I did some research and also next door is in B same type house. I applied in April or March (cant remember exactly) I got a letter 3 weeks back to say in July its going to the tribunal. I rang the office up and asked why does it have to go through all that? he said leave it with me for a few days the guy who is dealing with it. Then got a letter to say its in band B and asked to sign it, so I did.

Also when I checked on BOA site there was a question mark and it said that the house may get revalued and may go up a band.

Haven;t yet been made official nor doubt I get anything back or very little but every little helps