VOA council tax band possible increase?

SplanK

My house has just been rebranded. Only thing I can assume is the sale of next door, or us putting our house on the market has sparked it.


Going from a B to a C which is around £200 annual increase.


Thing is, there are a few houses on my street which are the same as mine, some with loft conversions, garage additions or conservatory. Ours has neither and has not changed other than a new kitchen and new bathroom. It also puts us in the same band as the larger 3 beds with integrated garages (ours is a smaller 3 bed)


Going to see if I can appeal and either ask that all the other properties are bumped up (wont I be popular lol), or mine lowered

lincroft1710

SplanK wrote: »

My house has just been rebranded. Only thing I can assume is the sale of next door,

Unless next door had been improved by the vendor and had a subsequent rebanding after new owner moved in and it was noticed that your home should be similarly rebanded then this highly unlikely.

or us putting our house on the market has sparked it.

Extremely unlikely

Thing is, there are a few houses on my street which are the same as mine, some with loft conversions, garage additions or conservatory. Ours has neither and has not changed other than a new kitchen and new bathroom. It also puts us in the same band as the larger 3 beds with integrated garages (ours is a smaller 3 bed)

Quite possible for different houses to be in the same band, happens all the time.

Going to see if I can appeal and either ask that all the other properties are bumped up (wont I be popular lol), or mine lowered

You can appeal but you cannot ask for the bands of other houses to be increased.

lincroft1710

115vaw wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where this fact is stated? I can't find anything on the VOA website that says they can do this - only things to the contrary about rebanding on sale after improvements.

We have had a letter telling us they are reviewing our band and want to come and inspect our house. We have lived here 12 years and have made no significant improvements (other than internal decor). Why would they be rebanding us now and how can it be allowed if other properties on the street have had major improvements (eg extensions) are either marked with the improvement indicator or have no mark at all?

And, does anyone know, is the valuation subjective?

Thanks in advance.

The VOA website doesn't state everything. You have to look at the actual legislation, probably 1992 Local Government Finance Act, or it could be a subsequent Statutory Instrument, I can't remember.

Basically in England and Wales the VOA is charged with maintaining the Valuation List (the list of dwellings and their CT bands). Therefore they have to alter the list when a new dwelling is built or created, a dwelling is demolished or ceases to be a dwelling or it is found that the wrong band has been attributed to a dwelling, whether too high or too low

It is possible that a band review of a similar house or house type has thrown up an anomaly, but the easiest way to find out is just ask the VOA.

Adrian C has answered the question on subjectivity.

PS the 1992 LGFA makes excellent bedtime reading.

115vaw

lincroft1710 wrote: »

PS the 1992 LGA makes excellent bedtime reading.

I'll give it a go

However, I can't see the sense or logic in only re-banding an improved house at point of sale, but randomly re-banding an unimproved one.
Also, the process by which the council inform the VOA of improvements (from approved planning applications) is clearly intermittent at best.

Should have had an extension, then they couldn't have touched us!

lincroft1710

115vaw wrote: »

I'll give it a go

However, I can't see the sense or logic in only re-banding an improved house at point of sale, but randomly re-banding an unimproved one.
Also, the process by which the council inform the VOA of improvements (from approved planning applications) is clearly intermittent at best.

Should have had an extension, then they couldn't have touched us!

Apologies, it's the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (blame 9 years of early retirement).

It matters not whether there is sense or logic it's what the legislation allows. However in this case there is both sense and logic.

Not rebanding until a sale was done so as not to discourage householders from improving their properties (at least that is what I was told was Parliament's intention). What may appear to be a random rebanding has more probably occurred because an error was discovered in the original band. Errors should be corrected.

Not all extensions are built with planning or building regs approval or notification, but I know from my first days in the VOA (early 1970s) that some councils were very lax in this matter. There was often a communication problem between planning and revenue sections of the council. After 1974 local government reorganisation things did improve but they were definitey not perfect as recall some wrong notifications in the early 2000s.

superflygal

Hi folks,

I to ha

superflygal

Hi folks,

I too have had a nightmare with the VOA. Challenged banding as three identical homes of the 10 in my cul de sac were band D and we were E. Banding agreed by VOA to be a D. Happy days.

10months later, received an un-addressed letter stating properties in the are were to be assessed for rebanding. I didn't worry given that investigations had already taken place recently. Big mistake.

Letter came two days later "band E" it declared triumphantly, "is the appropriate band". WHAAAAT?? I immediately challenged and pointed out we had already been assessed to a D ten months prior. Too bad the reply stated. Tough cheddar.

Went to tribunal. A greasy representative, (who continuously picked flaking skin from his scalp, face and ears and sprinkled the shedded skin fragments on the carpet throughout the tribunal) of the VOA presented his 'evidence'. Three of the houses he had drawn for comparison were purpose built 4 bed homes in different streets. Ours is a purpose built 3 bed. He had incorrect information on square meterage of homes too, as these differed wildly between our home and those identical ones I was comparing to.

When I pushed for a response as to why he felt the reassessment was wrong, he claimed a colleague had approached him, who "how shall we say, wasn't in her right mind when she chose your band" he went on to elaborate that she had had "mental problems" that had caused her to make such a crazy decision. She had apparently, once recovered from her mental illness, decided to approach this reptilian individual, and pleaded with him to put right what she had done wrong.

I sat open mouthed at this. I put my case as best I could, but the panel and legal guy were all very familiar and jocular between themselves, I had a gut feeling their minds were made up before I had even addressed them.

Needless to say as expected,a appeal denied, I am stuck with band E, and scarred by the process. Which I guess is the aim of the VOA.

Sfg x

ellie27

A 4 bed house, band B??? Seems a bit low!

We were in a 3 bed-semi new-build. Automatically put on band E, which we and everyone in our development paid. 5 yrs later I challenged it, watched MSE TV show. I won. WE got put down to a D and a back-payment of £1800 to all the 3 bed semis in our street! Many gifts received from the neighbours!

We are moving to a 5 bed this week - band F - boo!

Annie1960

ellie27 wrote: »

A 4 bed house, band B??? Seems a bit low!

I agree. Around here, 4 bed properties are usually Band F or Band G. The system is a joke if someone living in an identical house in a cheaper area pays less.

115vaw

Ours was rebanded from C to F. £1000 annual increase. That's a lot of dosh to find. And, I think, very unfair. Nothing has changed since 'they' banded is a C, and we bought in on the understanding it was a C; we may well have thought twice had it been an F.

Have yet to appeal but, having read stories above, don't hold out much hope.