council tax query

kakawak

hi people,

we moved house about 2 months ago (scotland) and of course knew that the council tax banding for our 4 bedroom detached bungalow is a band F now having looked up the SAA to see what our neighbours at either side of us are paying we found out they are on a band E. both are different styled detached bungalows built same time as mine with similar surroundings/landmass, garages and loft conversions.

i cant remember filling in any form via SAA to see if this could be corrected but was contacted by lanarkshire valuation joint board stating when a house is sold this inspector is required to consider the valuation band shown in the valuation list, which should be altered. the letter also says that under circumstances this would include a house altered prior to being sold. it says most but not all changes affect the valuation banding which could be the result of extensions, conversions affecting the size or layout of the property.

im a little confused as to what they have said regarding the above as several owners before me have done altercations with the assumed planning permission accepted so therefore i assume that the council or whoever must know what my house should fall into regarding a banding category. having spoke to the person that wants to carry out the inspection of my property he did state that banding is more likely to go up and not come down hence the reason for me starting this thread. i was not amused to say the least and need to find out where i stand in regards to this. this would leave me 1 letter grading from the top banding for a house bought for £192000.

personally, i feel that i wouldve overlooked this house if i knew that this banding was going to go up a notch rather than go down one with my neighbours. i was told by the inspector should his report state a band increase, i will be able to appeal it but this is hassle i dont need right now so im hoping someone on here can advise on what to do.

kind regards

cameron

p00hsticks

I'm not sure how the rules differ in Scotland, but in England if the council/ Valuation Office Agency becomes aware of someone improving their home (by applying for planning permission / getting building regulation approval) then an 'Improvement Indicator' is set against the property.

This indicates that the VOA will revaluate the banding the next time the property is sold to see if the improvements are such that the property should be re-banded. The purchaser can appeal against the re-banding if they don't agree with it.

You can easily check any property (at least in England) to see the current banding and if this marker's set and therefore if a re-banding is likely when the property is next sold.

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

What I'm not sure of is whether you could have expected your conveyancer or the seller to check this and/or point it out to you as part of the purchase process or whether it was down to you to query if it was that important to you

lincroft1710

There is nothing you can do until the Assessor has made his inspection. The Assessor is independent of the council, so may not have had sight of any planning applications relating to your home.

kakawak

hi,

im more annoyed that the council have been aware of what has been built several years ago ie. extensions, loft conversion and a decking. now surely over the years with the council permitting these upgrades they must know by record that the house is valued at X amount and what category it should fall into.

apparently the records on the council tax banding for my area shows the following...

because im not aloud to use website links if you type council tax banding north lanarkshire into google. click on the first link and you will see for yourself.

now if this is correct then the council have alot of work to do in regards to catch up with properties being under valued. i only say this because my mums house is currently banded at C or D and there house is valued at £125000 so does this mean that when a new owner purchases the house it will fall into band G - doesnt make sense to me and unfairly calculated imo. this tells me that what ever price you paid for a house for example my mums house at £66000 they will pay a band C or D even though it should be an E and until i decide to sell the house, the new owner for talking sakes pays £120000 this will fall into a band G.

am i wrong here because im not following this whole banding as ive spoken to several people and they are not paying what they should be paying according to the councils website.

cheers

cammy

CIS

now if this is correct then the council have alot of work to do in regards to catch up with properties being under valued. i only say this because my mums house is currently banded at C or D and there house is valued at £125000 so does this mean that when a new owner purchases the house it will fall into band G - doesnt make sense to me and unfairly calculated imo. this tells me that what ever price you paid for a house for example my mums house at £66000 they will pay a band C or D even though it should be an E and until i decide to sell the house, the new owner for talking sakes pays £120000 this will fall into a band G.

It's not the current value of the house that's relevant - the value in Scotland is the value back in 1991 so the property has to be banded at the value as if it was being banded at that date in time. The council aren't responsible for the banding, it's the Scottish Assessors Office who are responsible.

The only way a property would be re-banded on sale or transfer of ownership is if it's value (based on the 1991 value) had increased, the current value of the property makes no difference.

lincroft1710

Council Tax bands in England and Scotland are based on 1991 values. Any alterations or improvements made to the property after 1 April 1993 by the current owner cannot be reflected in the CT band. It doesn't matter if the property was sold in 1994 or 2014, it will still be banded at what its value would have been in 1991.

When a property is sold then any improvements carried out by the vendor can be taken into account and the band increased if appropriate.