Grandmother house tax band rise from D to G

nikotime

Hi all, my Grandmother has just been informed that her council tax band is being upgraded from a D to a G. I was wondering whether anyone had tips on how to appeal as this seems pretty ridiculous to me? No work has been done on the house since 1991 so not sure of the reason (although admittedly D is quite low for what her house is worth).
Cheers

bryanb

Council tax bands are still based on the 1992 (approx) values, if no work done since then ask why it has been re-banded. Could have been under valued originally though.

nikotime

She had an initial phone call where they explained it to her although she wasn't too sure what they were saying, other than the person on the phone was rather sorry. It is likely that it was undervalued but to surely not to such an extent.

xylophone

She had an initial phone call where they explained it to her although she wasn't too sure what they were saying,

She could write and request an explanation in writing?

nikotime

Thanks we shall do that. If we receive an official explanation, does anyone have any recommendations on steps to appeal this change?

HalfFull

I posted almost the same question as you, but about 30 mins later in the "Other Reclaiming: Council Tax, Lost As..." section. We have told ours to write letters as it is easier to get a response, but will watch your thread too.

nikotime

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on yours as well!

jimmo

Speaking as a former (Income) taxman I know a little bit about the VOA (who are responsible for determining council tax bands) and precious little about how council tax is collected.

However, to me, on such a crucial issue, a phone call simply doesn’t cut the mustard and I can’t help wondering whether your grandmother will get another phone call in the next week or two from a “professional” organisation which will get her council tax band down for a nice juicy fee or percentage.

elmer

Your Grandmother should receive formal notification in writing of a band change, all her appeal rights will be included in the letter,
so when you receive the letter call the Voa or Assessor in Scotland and ask for the reasons for the decision, then you can decide if you want to make a formal appeal.

elmer

lincroft1710

Band D to Band G is one hell of an increase, especially in England, where the lowest Band G value is approaching double the highest Band D.

As others have said she should write and, I would suggest, ask what information both the old and new bands are based on. I suspect that the original band either had a mistake on the size of the house, or it was just a "clerical" error.

Are there other similar houses nearby in Band G.

BTW I'm ex VOA and in 12 years of dealing with CT, only recall 2 occasions where incorrect bands were increased by more than one band and both were "clerical" errors.

thenudeone

Has she recently moved into the house?

Unless the rules have changed, it is not possible to increase the band on an existing house for the existing occupant even if substantial improvement or an extension occurs. They have to wait until the house is sold, possibly decades later, then they tell the new owner they will re-value it with the new extension etc., as I found out to my cost:(