How much was my house worth in 1991??

debbs

All makes for interesting reading and I know where you are coming from.
I have recently moved house and have challenged the banding following instructions via this site. I had a letter back stating that banding is correct and that they do not acknowledge the house prices indices nationwide part of the process, as they are not a suitable method for calculating individual property values. They included a form for me to sign to say that I was dropping my proposal to have the banding changed. The letter states that my band is based on evidence of actual sales of dwellings in the locality around the valuation date of 1 April 1991. To say I was angry with their response was an understatement and I wrote back stating that I was not happy with their answer and asked to see the evidence and properties sold nearby that was being used to value my place. I never got a reply to this letter in writing just a telephone call asking if she could come and measure my property which took place today. I have no idea where this is going now but await her reply in the next week or so. I guess I have to get down to the library and trawl the property pages for March/April 1991 in readiness for her next rubbish reply to why the band should stay as it is.
This site is great in that is asks you to report success stories regarding band changes but what about help and more advice for all those that are struggling with what to do next when they are turned down. I wonder how many are turned down against those that win their case especially when the VOA wont accept where the 1991 valuation has come from and why you are challenging them.
I will fight on but really dont expect to win, story of my life.

darich

Debbs - if they're disputing your band then ask them under the freedom of information act to supply the evidence and details they used to value your house.
They've turned down my appeal on the 6month rule but i'm about to write them another letter stating that regardless of the 6month rule, if the assessor knows of an incorrect banding, then he is duty bound to correct it.

I gathered evidence from the Register of Scotland website to find out what the same houses round about me paid and submitted that as evidence.

If they still turn me down then they must provide the info they used to band my house - it's the law.

Good luck and keep us posted.

debbs

Darich
Thanks for that, I have asked them for the information that they are using to value my home but I didnt think to quote the freedom of information act. I await her reply to measuring my home last week and then if I am not happy will again ask for the information again quoting FOI act.
Will keep you posted, good luck with your ongoing saga.

vivatifosi

Hi darich,

I've won two council tax tribunals and both the VOA and Valuation Tribunal Service will only take direct comparative evidence from 1991, which means a couple of hours in the library going back through their local newspapers on microfilm. There really aren't any easy short cuts, though definitely use FOI disclosure to get what the original comparison was based on.

I know the EG has been suggested, but I have to go to a county library to do that, so the local papers are often easier to get to.

Indices are great for establishing a ball park, but that's all they do. Where I live prices of flats fell dramatically between 1991 and 1994, but house prices for 3 beds dipped and then almost recovered in the same period and that's in the same town. The market in the next town moved differently again.

The other thing you could do is speak to your neighbours and ask them what they paid for their houses, especially if you can get close to an April 1991 sale (ie anytime between the end of 1990 and late Summer 1991).

Also, if you get nowhere with the VOA, make a note of any houses locally on the market and persuade the new owners to appeal within the six months - if they are successful (work together to make sure they are) then you will be able to appeal off the back of them. Life is much easier if you're in a position to make a valid appeal.

darich

vivatifosi

I've already spent several hours on the Register of Scotland website checking neighbours houses and got some excellent info.
eg houses identical to mine selling for 60k in 1996 which means they must have been worth less than 58k in 1991
I've got around a dozen examples of these type of numbers although maybe not quite so marked so i'm hopeful that will be enough.
i know some house prices dipped but it wasn't nearly as bad in Scotland.

All i can do now is write back and remind them that the assessor has a duty to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the bandings so now that we've pointed out an error, he's duty bound to correct it.

fingers crossed!!!

debbs

Hi everybody, well today I got a surprise letter from the VOA and they have now agreed to reduce my band from E to a D. This is fantastic news as Fenland District Council where we have move to is an expensive council anyway compared to Peterborough without being in the wrong band and giving them even more money. There are six bungalows in the close where we are and this will mean that 3 of us will be a D and the other 3 an E so time to start visiting the neighbours and letting them know the trouble I've stirred up regarding this. I must admit though I thought I was on to a loser when she came and measured up the place. I had visions of me spending some time in the library looking up sales for 1991 March/April but in the end something obviously went my way and now as I say the campaign goes on for my neighbours. I'm glad that I didnt sign their letter agreeing to it staying as an E band and that I fought on. Hope this inspires others not to quit just because they tell you it's a no.

cats!

I got the same letter back claiming my banding was correct and could I just sign a waiver form and go away. My valuation tribunal is next week. I'll update veryone on how I get on!

space_rider

How do you go about it if its a new house?

debbs

Good luck Cats.
space rider, took this from VOA website, dont know if it helps you or not.

Council Tax came into effect on 1 April 1993. However, the process of valuing every domestic property in England and Wales for banding purposes started some time before this. Therefore, we had to adopt a valuation date prior to 1 April 1993 so that all properties would be valued on a common footing. Even if your property was built after 1 April 1993, we must band the property according to what we think that its value would have been on 1 April 1991. This means that recent sale prices are not necessarily a good guide to the correct band for a property.
So I guess your process is pretty much the same as ours in that you'd need to find a similar build close where you live but houses that were there in 1991 and then try and get sale prices for these properties to give you an idea of what the VOA would have compared your new build to. If you do have properties to compare against you can also check to see what band they are and if it's the same as yours or lower (they may be in the wrong band too mind and not know it) So basically what you've to do is find out what houses the same as yours were selling for in March/April 1991 and once youve found a comparison it may be a trip to the library to trawl through newspaper archives to back up your theory. Good luck if you do decide to investigate your band.

Kez100

maninthestreet wrote: »

"Although there was no real movement in house prices between 1989-1991 (very slight loss) house prices fell until 1995 and then (depending on area and house type) took until around 2001 to recover back to 1989 prices."

That's not my experience of being a homeowner during that time period.

Nor ours either.

We saw major losses 1989 - 1991, then another 10% loss 1991-1994.