Council Tax & Factoring Fee?

Chaz_Malcolm

Hoping someone can help me understand what I am paying for. I recently purchased a 2 bedroom flat in Aberdeen with my partner. This is a new build so all residents must pay a factoring fee to cover road works, grounds upkeep, window cleaning, communal cleaning, bins etc. Off the top of my head this figure is between £60-£70. On top of that we are in Council Tax band D of which we are to pay something like £160 a month.

Should I not be on a lower tax band due to the council not taking over the grounds for however many years it is? I am effectively paying for the same thing in some cases like grounds upkeep and bins etc?

I find this a lot of money for a 2 bedroom flat with no garden etc.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as the links I found on the website didn't help due to the building being built in 2015 so couldn't get prices etc.

Many thanks in advance for anyone that can help!

antrobus

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

...On top of that we are in Council Tax band D of which we are to pay something like £160 a month. ...

That includes water. Loooks more like £100 a month for CT.

http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/council_tax_benefits/council_tax_bands.asp

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

.....Should I not be on a lower tax band due to the council not taking over the grounds for however many years it is? I am effectively paying for the same thing in some cases like grounds upkeep and bins etc?......

No. They're your grounds. The council has no responsibility for paying for the upkeep of private property.

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

.....I find this a lot of money for a 2 bedroom flat with no garden etc....

Perhaps it is. But you bought it. Didnt you know what CT band it was in, and what the factoring charges were likely to be?

Chaz_Malcolm

Apologies but it is just billed as CT and is £165 a month (10 months).

No they are not our grounds - I mean the roads etc. We pay for them via the factoring but that is also what we pay CT for? I am aware I pay a factor fee for the upkeen of the building but everything outwith the building is what you pay CT for I thought yet we pay factor for these too.

Yes I am aware I bought it but we were never told which band we would be in etc as they had no details to give it. (First time buyer also).

Thanks for your wonderful feedback.

HappyMJ

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

Apologies but it is just billed as CT and is £165 a month (10 months).

No they are not our grounds - I mean the roads etc. We pay for them via the factoring but that is also what we pay CT for? I am aware I pay a factor fee for the upkeen of the building but everything outwith the building is what you pay CT for I thought yet we pay factor for these too.

Yes I am aware I bought it but we were never told which band we would be in etc as they had no details to give it. (First time buyer also).

Thanks for your wonderful feedback.

Maybe you live in a property which has a private road. The flat that I live in has private roads that anybody can drive on...it's not gated and there's no sign saying private road or unadopted road. The council is responsible for about 2 metres from the main road to the property line and the freeholder is responsible for the street itself. The road changes from asphalt to brick but the double yellow lines continue into the property so looking at it you would think the roads are council roads but they are actually private. We could if we wanted to park on the double yellow lines on our own property and we would not get a council issued parking ticket.

You can ask to pay in 12 instalments instead of 10 so your council tax would be £1647.72 divide by 12 or £137 per month.

Chaz_Malcolm

HappyMJ wrote: »

Maybe you live in a property which has a private road. The flat that I live in has private roads that anybody can drive on...it's not gated and there's no sign saying private road or unadopted road. The council is responsible for about 2 metres from the main road to the property line and the freeholder is responsible for the street itself. The road changes from asphalt to brick but the double yellow lines continue into the property so looking at it you would think the roads are council roads but they are actually private. We could if we wanted to park on the double yellow lines on our own property and we would not get a council issued parking ticket.

You can ask to pay in 12 instalments instead of 10 so your council tax would be £1647.72 divide by 12 or £137 per month.

Hi HappyMJ,

The only road to our car park is the same road to the Sainsbury's car park but on our factor bill for roads etc it is split 1/1000 (general figure as an example) to show our share with all the other people that live in those new houses that have to contribute to those roads. As we are told that the Council don't take on new ground until 2 years after construction is finished (something like that).

Really I am looking for someone who pays the same CT & Factoring who has a better understanding of all this as maybe I am overthinking it?

I presume I pay higher CT also because I have left the shire and now classed as the city?

Yeah I just read about the CT over 12 months. Thanks.:beer:

antrobus

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

... No they are not our grounds - I mean the roads etc. We pay for them via the factoring but that is also what we pay CT for? I am aware I pay a factor fee for the upkeen of the building but everything outwith the building is what you pay CT for I thought yet we pay factor for these too.... .

They are until the council takes responsibility for them.

Chaz_Malcolm wrote: »

.... As we are told that the Council don't take on new ground until 2 years after construction is finished (something like that)....

There you go then. They are unadopted roads. Or grounds. Or both. If and when they get adopted, your factoring charge will drop. Until then, you have to pay for it, and you don't get a CT reduction because you do.


There are plenty of people in the UK in a similar, or even worse position. It's a particular issue in former coal mining districts apparently.

Darksparkle

Most new builds now have factor fees. Don't know anyone who has reduced council tax because of it. They do generally cover completely different things.

I'm currently renting so don't pay factor fees but my landlord does.

The factor is responsible for building repairs (e.g roof repairs after high winds), Sky satellite repairs (also after high winds), they redocorated the landings after water damage, pay a cleaner to come once per week to clean landings, replace lighting in landing, cut grass etc.

I'm not actually sure who is responsible for our bins. We have a few large skip like bins for the building rather than individual bins. We did however get the tiny food waste bins from the council that no one uses. No one sees the point as its all emptied into the same truck.

I wish it covered window cleaning! We're on top floor and no one in the area seems to want to clean the Windows.

Chaz_Malcolm

Cheers guys.

I understand what you folks are saying but obviously not knowing the full ins and outs I was unsure of if I should be paying the full CT amount etc due to me paying them for roads etc that I am paying the factor for. I know all the other things the factor covers which is not related to CT hence why I am not complaining about that.

I just couldn't understand as to why I was paying CT for all these things which I am apparently paying my factor fee for. Like why would I pay CT the full amount if they are not doing all these things that I am being charged for? Hope that makes better sense of what I am trying to say! haha

Cheers

molerat

Council tax has very little to do with what services you personally get. It is a general tax based on property value, no more no less.

Chaz_Malcolm

CT is the service provided by the council in which you are paying for. Ie waste collection etc. This isn't about personal gains and refusing to pay anything. I am after a better understanding and if anyone else has queried these same things.

Darksparkle

But doesnt CT cover all roads in your council area, rather than just paying for the road outside your property?