Council Tax Wrong Banding F to C?

Nessy4646

I'm buying a property which is Band F but straight away I knew it was incorrect, and would be an E, possible even a D. It has had the same resident since 1987 and I have no idea why they never appealed, but the problem was always going to be how to prove this. Well yesterday, the solicitor sent a copy of the 1987 bill showing it was purchased for £51k.
I was really happy to see this as 1991 house prices were lower than 1987 and looking at the 1991 bandings it could even have been a C band. I called VOA without giving any particulars and she said they only take into consideration proof that is 2 years either side of 1991. I'm going to send a copy of the invoice in anyway, but could I really get an F down to a C?
House is a detached 1970 3 bedroom dormer with 1 bathroom but on a large plot. 
Any thoughts on how this might play out please?

lincroft1710

The VOA are more likely to compare the house with others in the area of the same age and size. I'm ex VOA and we never really looked at prices pre 1990, certainly not as far back as 1987. That figure looks suspiciously low as in most areas 1988 was the peak year before a steady decline until 1995. Rather than waste your time sending a copy of the sale price (which there is a 99.9% chance will be in their records anyway) concentrate on finding houses of a similar age and size in the area which are in Band D or E.