Reclaim overpaid council tax

Rocha25

How do you get hold of sales data or evidence of flats sold  in my block from 1990 to 1994?

lincroft1710

Rocha25 said:

How do you get hold of sales data or evidence of flats sold  in my block from 1990 to 1994?

Pre 1994 sales evidence is not in the public domain. !994 sales are available on the Land Registry site but in most areas 1994 sale prices were well below those of 1991.

Rocha25

Many thanks Lincroft1710 for the info. would it be advisable to get sales data from 1991 to 1993 for flats sold in my block on the Land Registry? 

Rocha25

Would it be possible to get those data from the Land Registry?

lincroft1710

LR have no info on pre 1994 sale prices as apparently they did not record them. Be aware that if you find any sale for a council built property, it must be a second or subsequent sale as the first sale will be from the council to the tenant and thus reflect the tenant's discount.

babyseal2024

I could use some advice on whether I have a case for review. There are at least 6 properties within a 50m radius of my home, that are identical build/spec, and are all in a band lower than me. When I input the price I paid for my house in 2023 into the MSE 1991 value calculator, it calculates me to be in the band I am currently in. However, when I input the sale price the previous owners purchased for in '09, it puts me in the band lower. What do I do, as Martin says only challenge if you pass this check?

babyseal2024

Forgot to add - in England

lincroft1710

babyseal2024 said:

I could use some advice on whether I have a case for review. There are at least 6 properties within a 50m radius of my home, that are identical build/spec, and are all in a band lower than me. When I input the price I paid for my house in 2023 into the MSE 1991 value calculator, it calculates me to be in the band I am currently in. However, when I input the sale price the previous owners purchased for in '09, it puts me in the band lower. What do I do, as Martin says only challenge if you pass this check?

Just contact the VOA, give them the addresses of the 6 properties and say these are identical to and in a band lower than mine and can mine be reduced please. Downside would be VOA decides yours is correct and increases the bands of the others. Also there is currently a backlog, so it will be several months before your request is dealt with

JustPeachie

Hi, I have a relative who has lived in their property since the 1970's, so long before the Council Tax was introduced.

Apparently when the CT band was decided, he did question it as he felt his was too high.  He asked the question twice and was told it was because he had a garage.  The house next door also had a garage but was in a lower band.  They said this was because the garage had been built after the people moved in.

The garage is at the bottom of the garden, not attached obviously to the house.

It was something he mentioned again recently and when I checked I saw that every single semi detached house was in a lower band than him.  He is in the higher band which all the detached houses are in.

I wrote to the council to outline all of this and they have responded to say he is 'out of time' to request a revision to the lower band.

Does anyone have any advice? As things stand he is living in a semi detached house and paying higher CT than the neighbour on the other side!

Thanks in advance.

lincroft1710

JustPeachie said:

Hi, I have a relative who has lived in their property since the 1970's, so long before the Council Tax was introduced.

Apparently when the CT band was decided, he did question it as he felt his was too high.  He asked the question twice and was told it was because he had a garage.  The house next door also had a garage but was in a lower band.  They said this was because the garage had been built after the people moved in.

The garage is at the bottom of the garden, not attached obviously to the house.

It was something he mentioned again recently and when I checked I saw that every single semi detached house was in a lower band than him.  He is in the higher band which all the detached houses are in.

I wrote to the council to outline all of this and they have responded to say he is 'out of time' to request a revision to the lower band.

Does anyone have any advice? As things stand he is living in a semi detached house and paying higher CT than the neighbour on the other side!

Thanks in advance.

The VOA (Eng and Wales) or Assessor (Scot) deal with CT banding not the council.


Your relative can request a lower banding but as it appears there has been previous attempts, it is going to be difficult to get round "Computer says no" generic response. I usually don't suggest this but as he is coming up against a brick wall I would suggest asking his MP to intervene and quote the actual CT bands involved and mention that all the houses have garages and the position of them relative to the actual house. Of course if his property has been extended then this may explain why he is in the higher band.