Council tax question: any recommendations please?

pawntoc5

Hello all, I live in a development where we're all charged an exorbitant amount of council tax. For comparison, a 2 bedroom flat here is in a more expensive tax band than a comparable 3 bedroom flat down the road. We've tried (unsuccessfully) to challenge council on this and our next step is to find a professional/ firm to challenge on our behalf. I know such companies often charge on a "no win, no fee" basis and that if the challenge is successful, they tend to charge quite a bit of the amount saved. Nonetheless, it's a route we want to explore as it'll still be cheaper than our present situation. Can anyone recommend some firms that challenge council tax bands on behalf of owners/residents please? I've tried Googling but it seems like I'm using the wrong terms entirely as I've come up empty. Thank you in advance!

jon81uk

Is this advice helpful https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/council-tax-bands-change/#b

pawntoc5

Hi jon81uk, thanks but unfortunately that article doesn't address the question in my original post, which is asking for firms that take on cases on behalf of owners. 

p00hsticks

When you say you've tried unsuccessfully to challenge the council, did you actually mean the VOA (assuming you're in England) ?

Jeremy535897

pawntoc5 said:

Hi jon81uk, thanks but unfortunately that article doesn't address the question in my original post, which is asking for firms that take on cases on behalf of owners. 

You should start by reading that link in full, as you may find you are too late to do anything.

lincroft1710

If you are now outside the 6 month time limit and you have already unsuccessfully appealed the CT band, there is little point in paying someone to challenge the band again as they will just be told the band is correct and has already been fully investigated.

I'm ex VOA and dealt with thousands of CT appeals and requests for lower bands and the number of times a surveyor or similar was instructed was infinitesimal. There a rating surveyors who deal with business rates appeals and some may take on CT band appeals, but the ones I came across certainly didn't work on a "NWNF" basis.

jon81uk

pawntoc5 said:

Hi jon81uk, thanks but unfortunately that article doesn't address the question in my original post, which is asking for firms that take on cases on behalf of owners. 

As per that link though, you can appeal to the VOA, what do you think getting a company to do that for you will gain?

pawntoc5

jeremy & lincroft - Ok for more context, this is something that various property owners in my development are pursuing, and to your questions whether we are too late/still within the 6 month time limit - the answer is: a number of us are still within the limit and therefore able to challenge the CT band. 

Jeremy535897

Based on the number of complaints on this forum alone about the people who negotiate reductions in rates, and the fact that people in the know on here don't know of anyone who does this sort of thing for no win no fee, I suggest you all get together as soon as possible, having read through the entirety of the MSE link, and put your best arguments together to put to the council.

lincroft1710

Jeremy535897 said:

Based on the number of complaints on this forum alone about the people who negotiate reductions in rates, and the fact that people in the know on here don't know of anyone who does this sort of thing for no win no fee, I suggest you all get together as soon as possible, having read through the entirety of the MSE link, and put your best arguments together to put to the council.

It is the VOA who deal with CT bands and appeals not the council

lincroft1710

pawntoc5 said:

jeremy & lincroft - Ok for more context, this is something that various property owners in my development are pursuing, and to your questions whether we are too late/still within the 6 month time limit - the answer is: a number of us are still within the limit and therefore able to challenge the CT band. 

You said earlier that a previous appeal (or appeals) had been rejected. If this is correct and the appeal was either withdrawn or dismissed by the Valuation Tribunal, then any further appeals on properties of the same flat type are likely to fail. The people who are in time to appeal will obviously have to make their own appeals, but each appeal for the same flat type can use the same reasons or grounds