I'm Being Stalled by the VAO

Happy_Traveler

I recently applied to the Council Tax Band Valuation Appeal Office (VAO) as my house, a semi detached in a cul-de-sac, is in Band is E, where as the other 3 houses, all semi detached and heavily extended, compared to mine, are in Band D.    I am on a pension and the difference per annum is £400.  Add to that the recent government rebate, which I will not get, and this year I will be £550 worse off.

The VAO have recently responded to my appeal by stating that my neighbours houses are not the same as mine, which is ridiculous as all the houses were built at the same time!!! I extended my house in 1987 and my neighbours have extended theirs since 2000. All have extended far greater than my house one now has 6 bedrooms!!
I know that I may have fallen foul of the 1991 revaluation exercise but this situation is not just or fair in my opinion.

My question is what can I do now as I don't have any idea how I will respond to the VAO regarding proof that the houses are all the same?  

es5595

Do your neighbours houses have improvement indicators on them? They may be inline to be up-rated when they’re next sold. 

Have a look at others slightly further away, because otherwise all you might succeed in doing is getting your neighbours changed to an E band…

sheramber

If a house is extended the banding is not reviewed until the house is sold.  So your neighbours'  houses will not have been rebanded if they  the work was done after 1991 and they have not been sold since the work was done.

lincroft1710

It is the VOA (Valuation Office Agency) with whom you are dealing.


Your house had been extended prior to 1 April 1993 (the start of CT), therefore your band will reflect the extension. But as others have said, the bands of your neighbours' homes cannot be increased until they are next sold. So it is their bands which are too low rather than yours is too high.


It may seem unfair but it is correct in law.   You could look at other streets and see if you can find similar size houses to yours which have not been recently extended and are in Band D.