council tax re- banding

kittyjo23

Can anyone help?

We received this reply today from the Listing Officer after we asked for our Council Tax Band to be reassessed. It is currently Band C. But all the checks I have done with the value of our home and the House Price Index compared to the bands indicates we should be in B.

The problem is we and all the other 2 bedroom semi detached houses on this estate were all built at the same time and are Shared Ownership. I can't find any sale info online other than what we paid (it was a shared ownership resale)
I'm convinced we are all in the wrong band but they keep asking for "compelling evidence". No other houses in this estate would be comparable as they are larger houses and houses in other streets in our area were built much earlier.
This is the reply we got today..
"Thank you for your email dated 28-Feb-2018 in respect of the above.
Reference to average house price indices is not sufficient evidence for me to raise a review. House price indices cover wide geographic areas which have different property types. These indices only show general trends in house prices. A house price index is not an accurate indicator of value for a specific property and is of very little help in arriving at a Council Tax band.
I will investigate the band if you are able to provide more compelling evidence to suggest your property has been incorrectly banded.
Yours sincerely
Listing Officer"

Help?

lincroft1710

kittyjo23 wrote: »

Can anyone help?

We received this reply today from the Listing Officer after we asked for our Council Tax Band to be reassessed. It is currently Band C. But all the checks I have done with the value of our home and the House Price Index compared to the bands indicates we should be in B.

The problem is we and all the other 2 bedroom semi detached houses on this estate were all built at the same time and are Shared Ownership. I can't find any sale info online other than what we paid (it was a shared ownership resale)
I'm convinced we are all in the wrong band but they keep asking for "compelling evidence". No other houses in this estate would be comparable as they are larger houses and houses in other streets in our area were built much earlier.
This is the reply we got today..
"Thank you for your email dated 28-Feb-2018 in respect of the above.
Reference to average house price indices is not sufficient evidence for me to raise a review. House price indices cover wide geographic areas which have different property types. These indices only show general trends in house prices. A house price index is not an accurate indicator of value for a specific property and is of very little help in arriving at a Council Tax band.
I will investigate the band if you are able to provide more compelling evidence to suggest your property has been incorrectly banded.
Yours sincerely
Listing Officer"

Help?

When I was working at the VOA, comparing HPI estimates with actual sale prices led me to the same conclusion - HPIs aren't accurate.

I would suggest you look for 2 bed houses of a similar age, type and size in Band B within the locality and if you find any inform the LO.