Council tax bands

Moonface

I bought my house in 2005 and it was one of five new builds. We are all in council tax band E. However, my house has 3 bedrooms and 1 reception room. One of the other houses is identical in size (apart from a conservatory added a couple of years after the house was built). The third house also has 3 bedrooms but 2 reception rooms. The other 2 houses are 4 bedrooms with 2 reception rooms.
The valuation estimates for 1991 put 3 of the houses in band D and the other 2 larger houses in band E. Now I know that it’s not just about how many rooms you have but obviously the 4 bedroom houses are bigger. I’ve even measured the dimensions of the houses from an Ordnance Survey map to confirm this.
An older house next to our houses that was built quite some years before ours and is about a third bigger than my house is in band D.
Is this worth contesting?

lincroft1710

Moonface wrote: »

I bought my house in 2005 and it was one of five new builds. We are all in council tax band E. However, my house has 3 bedrooms and 1 reception room. One of the other houses is identical in size (apart from a conservatory added a couple of years after the house was built). The third house also has 3 bedrooms but 2 reception rooms. The other 2 houses are 4 bedrooms with 2 reception rooms.
The valuation estimates for 1991 put 3 of the houses in band D and the other 2 larger houses in band E. Now I know that it’s not just about how many rooms you have but obviously the 4 bedroom houses are bigger. I’ve even measured the dimensions of the houses from an Ordnance Survey map to confirm this.
An older house next to our houses that was built quite some years before ours and is about a third bigger than my house is in band D.
Is this worth contesting?

If by "valuation estimates" you mean house price indices then be aware that these are inaccurate. I have used OS plans over several decades, but would not consider them suitable for accurately calculating a property's size.

It is perfectly feasible to have different houses in the same CT band.

If the Band D neighbouring property is pre WW2, this may be why it is in Band D or it could be under banded. If you do ask for a band review, the worst that could happen would probably be the Band D increased to a Band E. Up to you.

Moonface

Yes I meant house price indices.

As far as the OS maps are concerned, I appreciate they are not totally accurate but a quick measure confirms a reasonable difference in size between the 3 & 2 bed houses. This is also visibly evident.

I am not certain if the other house is pre WW2 but I think it’s unlikey. It’s obvious to the eye that it’s bigger than my house in which case I think it probably is underhanded. The old chap has just died so it’s probable the house will soon be on the market.

lincroft1710

The trouble is that with the current VOA insistence on Council taxpayers providing evidence that their band is wrong, you only have the Band D house to possibly support your case.

sheramber

Can you supply the required evidence?

https://www.gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band/evidence-supports-your-challenge

Evidence you can send

Send the addresses of up to 5 similar properties in a lower Council Tax band than yours.

They must be the same as your property in:

age
style and design
size (the VOA will also consider properties that are larger than yours)
type (for example, they must be semi-detached houses if you live in a semi-detached house)

They must also be either:

in the same street or estate - if you live in a town or city
in the same village - if you live in the countryside

Evidence from house prices

You can also use the price that your property or similar properties sold for as evidence, if the sales were between:

1 April 1989 and 31 March 1993 - if your property is in England
1 April 2001 and 31 March 2005 - if your property is in Wales