Would it be worth challenging Council Tax banding?
chaotic_j
Forumite 435 Posts
Hi,
We are on the end of a row of three. Our Council Tax Band is E, middle house which may be a bit smaller is also E.
However opposite end which is a mirror image of us is C. We do have a single storey extension and large garden plot to the side. Worth challenging? Should we be a D?
A couple of years ago VOA were looking to send someone to take pictures and carry out an assessment with a view to a higher band. I suppose due to the single storey extension which was built by the previous owner.
Or would I be best leaving this well alone?
Thanks in advance.
We are on the end of a row of three. Our Council Tax Band is E, middle house which may be a bit smaller is also E.
However opposite end which is a mirror image of us is C. We do have a single storey extension and large garden plot to the side. Worth challenging? Should we be a D?
A couple of years ago VOA were looking to send someone to take pictures and carry out an assessment with a view to a higher band. I suppose due to the single storey extension which was built by the previous owner.
Or would I be best leaving this well alone?
Thanks in advance.
0
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
Secondly, (speaking from experience as I challenged mine) you would be asked to provide specific comparables. These must be houses of similar status (e.g. 3 bed detached, 2 bathrooms) AND similar size. "How on Earth am I supposed to know how the size of neighbours houses?" I hear you ask (as I asked the same) - you can go on the EPC register which shows the floor area of most houses. See if the comparables are actually similar sizes (the outside of houses can be misleading).
You will need to find specific examples, with their sizes and details. When I challenged mine, I received an interesting letter from the VoA telling me that if they were to manually review my band, it can go up as well as down, and would include my new porch! In the end, I abandoned the request.
Plus also be mindful that it's not always the case that the higher house should go down, it could be the case that the lower house should go up. While I'm sure this is done anonymously, close neighbours may work out who it may have been.