Anyone succeeded in getting Council TaX reversed

123bee

I cant type & see too well so please bear with me.

My council Tax band gone up from D to E to, it is wrong, it was £85,000 for a two bedroom bungalow with storage heaters & a pink bathroom, small garden dominated by next doors conifer tree 35 ft high [been on the market for a year nobody wanted it] My survey said fair price for property in fair order. I have the Estate leaflet from 1992 when I first looked at the property. I made an offer, it was accepted

I have been in contact with the VOA for over a year, I was told every time I sent in info"You have not provided enough evidence in your email to allow us to undertake a review", until I returned an E mail that was full of spelling mistakes & errors, then said they would look in to it!

From Council site 1 April 1991 + - 2 years Band D-£68,001 - £88,000.VOA said was a low price & will not accept it said poor repair or in need of renovation, I sent photos to prove that the property was not in bad order .

I have a extension, I have NOT sold neither have near 6 neighbours who have larger extensions & are in band D

VOA say you have a large extension, others around me have larger extensions & have been sold, they in band D

123bee

lincroft1710

In many areas house prices were lower in 1992 than 1991, so an £85,000 sale price in 1992 would show well over £88,000 in 1991. 

123bee

lincroft1710 said:

In many areas house prices were lower in 1992 than 1991, so an £85,000 sale price in 1992 would show well over £88,000 in 1991. 

      Thank you, I paid£74,000 for it in 1993, I have sent VOA conformation on that, but they will not accept it. All info I have sent has been rejected, I sent them estate agent info on another property next door that was for sale at same time council tax band D & still is.Is there any hope of getting it put back I have lived here 25 years,

123bee

theoretica

You don't mention when the tax was changed and if they gave any reason for doing so.  Did they have a legal reason to make the change?

lincroft1710

123bee said:

lincroft1710 said:

In many areas house prices were lower in 1992 than 1991, so an £85,000 sale price in 1992 would show well over £88,000 in 1991. 

      Thank you, I paid£74,000 for it in 1993, I have sent VOA conformation on that, but they will not accept it. All info I have sent has been rejected, I sent them estate agent info on another property next door that was for sale at same time council tax band D & still is.Is there any hope of getting it put back I have lived here 25 years,

123bee

I'm ex VOA and in the areas I dealt with there was a price drop of at least 20% between 1991 and 1993, so a 1993 price of £74,000 would indicate a figure of over £92,000. So I think Band E is probably correct

123bee

lincroft1710 said:

123bee said:

lincroft1710 said:

In many areas house prices were lower in 1992 than 1991, so an £85,000 sale price in 1992 would show well over £88,000 in 1991. 

      Thank you, I paid£74,000 for it in 1993, I have sent VOA conformation on that, but they will not accept it. All info I have sent has been rejected, I sent them estate agent info on another property next door that was for sale at same time council tax band D & still is.Is there any hope of getting it put back I have lived here 25 years,

123bee

I'm ex VOA and in the areas I dealt with there was a price drop of at least 20% between 1991 and 1993, so a 1993 price of £74,000 would indicate a figure of over £92,000. So I think Band E is probably correct

Thank you for your reply.

Why /How,?  when it stated Valuation bands based on property value on 1 April 1991+- 2 years, Band A-up to £40,000. Band B- £40,001 to £52,000. Band C-£52,001 to £68,000. Band D-£68,001 to £88,000 Band E-£88,001 to £120,000 

I contacted Council re Council Tax bill & told the man my council tax had gone up to band D, he replied are you in a 4 bedroom property, I said no a 2 bedroom

I have also had 3 estate agents value my property I asked them what council tax band did they think I should be in they all said band D, one said I have never known a property of this size be in band E

The only properties around me that are in band E are 4- 5 bedrooms,

2 properties sold,  2021 a 5 bed £385,000 195sqm E, and a 4 bed  sold 2022  £525,000 143sqm. Band E.

 I cant understand it

123bee

lincroft1710

123bee said:

lincroft1710 said:

123bee said:

lincroft1710 said:

In many areas house prices were lower in 1992 than 1991, so an £85,000 sale price in 1992 would show well over £88,000 in 1991. 

      Thank you, I paid£74,000 for it in 1993, I have sent VOA conformation on that, but they will not accept it. All info I have sent has been rejected, I sent them estate agent info on another property next door that was for sale at same time council tax band D & still is.Is there any hope of getting it put back I have lived here 25 years,

123bee

I'm ex VOA and in the areas I dealt with there was a price drop of at least 20% between 1991 and 1993, so a 1993 price of £74,000 would indicate a figure of over £92,000. So I think Band E is probably correct

Thank you for your reply.

Why /How,?  when it stated Valuation bands based on property value on 1 April 1991+- 2 years, Band A-up to £40,000. Band B- £40,001 to £52,000. Band C-£52,001 to £68,000. Band D-£68,001 to £88,000 Band E-£88,001 to £120,000 

I contacted Council re Council Tax bill & told the man my council tax had gone up to band D, he replied are you in a 4 bedroom property, I said no a 2 bedroom

I have also had 3 estate agents value my property I asked them what council tax band did they think I should be in they all said band D, one said I have never known a property of this size be in band E

The only properties around me that are in band E are 4- 5 bedrooms,

2 properties sold,  2021 a 5 bed £385,000 195sqm E, and a 4 bed  sold 2022  £525,000 143sqm. Band E.

 I cant understand it

123bee

CT bands for England are based on property values as at 1 April 1991, not and never, ever have been plus or minus 2 years. If your band had increased from D to E you would have received a formal notice of band increase from the VOA. Have you asked the VOA  why your band was increased.  I've known plenty of 2 bed bungalows in Band E. 


Estate Agents aren't usually CT experts.


In the sentence I have emboldened are you certain it is in fact "D"

123bee

Thank you for your reply,

"I contacted Council re Council Tax bill & told the man my council tax had gone up to band D, he replied are you in a 4 bedroom property, I said no a 2 bedroom"   no band E

"CT bands for England are based on property values as at 1 April 1991, not and never, ever have been plus or minus 2 years"

I was sent this in an e mail, read it somewhere & had a phone call about it "Sales evidence in your locality, very close to the valuation date of 1 April 1991 (no more than two years either side of this date),"

I paid £74,000 in 1993.

The property had been on the market for over a year at £85,00 that was 1992 when I first looked at it that would make it in band D.

Band A-up to £40,000.

Band B- £40,001 to £52,000.

Band C-£52,001 to £68,000.

Band D-£68,001 to £88,000  

Band E-£88,001 to £120,000   

lincroft1710 said

"I'm ex VOA and in the areas I dealt with there was a price drop of at least 20% between 1991 and 1993, so a 1993 price of £74,000 would indicate a figure of over £92,000. So I think Band E is probably correct"

I do not understand

lincroft1710

123bee said:

Thank you for your reply,

"I contacted Council re Council Tax bill & told the man my council tax had gone up to band D, he replied are you in a 4 bedroom property, I said no a 2 bedroom"   no band E

"CT bands for England are based on property values as at 1 April 1991, not and never, ever have been plus or minus 2 years"

I was sent this in an e mail, read it somewhere & had a phone call about it "Sales evidence in your locality, very close to the valuation date of 1 April 1991 (no more than two years either side of this date),"

I paid £74,000 in 1993.

The property had been on the market for over a year at £85,00 that was 1992 when I first looked at it that would make it in band D.

Band A-up to £40,000.

Band B- £40,001 to £52,000.

Band C-£52,001 to £68,000.

Band D-£68,001 to £88,000  

Band E-£88,001 to £120,000   

lincroft1710 said

"I'm ex VOA and in the areas I dealt with there was a price drop of at least 20% between 1991 and 1993, so a 1993 price of £74,000 would indicate a figure of over £92,000. So I think Band E is probably correct"

I do not understand

It is very simple.


CT is based on prices as at 1 April 1991'


You paid £74,000 in 1993
.

House prices dropped from 1991 to 1993 by about 20%


So your purchase price of £74,000 in 1993 would suggest a 1991 value of over £92,000


Thus this would indicate Band E is correct

123bee

I was sent this in an e mail from VOA "Sales evidence in your locality, very close to the valuation date of 1 April 1991 (no more than two years either side of this date)," what does mean then?

 There are at least 15 other properties in the roads around me who have larger extensions & are in band D, how can that be?

123bee

lincroft1710

123bee said:

I was sent this in an e mail from VOA "Sales evidence in your locality, very close to the valuation date of 1 April 1991 (no more than two years either side of this date)," what does mean then?

 There are at least 15 other properties in the roads around me who have larger extensions & are in band D, how can that be?

123bee

It means if you have any relevant sales evidence between April 1989 and April 1993, to back up your request for a lower band then you should inform the VOA and they will consider it. Because house prices fell from 1989 to 1993, the VOA will calculate what the April 1991 value would have been from the evidence supplied.


If the Band D properties have been extended by the current owners then CT legislation does not allow the bands to be increased until after the next sale of the property. But only the VOA will know the actual reason