Council Tax Bands on my road

Neversurrender

Hi
I live in a 2 bedroom link detached bungalow bought in 1995 for £53,000 now worth around £250,000, I am in band D.

After checking tax bands on my road, I noticed that the house right across the road from me is in band D too, but that house is a fully detached house with 3 bedrooms and is currently worth £380,000.

I have read from Martin's articles about council tax that we have to be careful when contacting the valuations office, as we could suddenly become very unpopular on our road.  Not sure how anyone would know it was us that spoke to the valuations office though.

Any ideas on the way our council tax compares with that of the house across the road, and contacting valuations office please.

tacpot12

It is very diffcult to argue that your house should be in a lower band. As Martin points out you can't use YOUR valuation, or even a professional valuation, to argue that your house should be in a different band. The VOA will decide what the value of your house was in 1991. It's a very opaque process. 

If there have been any changes to your house since 1991, your band is likely to be higher than unchanged properties. If you make a mistake with your valuation, you might find that you go up another band, and some of your neighbours bands are increased as well. 

If the VOA visits your street, they shouldn't tell people who has triggered their visit, but I don't think you can rely on the information not slipping out.

I would not risk it for a one band reduction. If you think that your house should be two or more bands lower, then it might be worth risking it. 

Neversurrender

Many thanks @tacpot12
Very well explained thankyou, and was my thinking also. But good to have it confirmed by another.
Cheers

Kim_13

Bungalows also tend to be in a higher band than non-bungalows of the same size. Unless there are other similar bungalows in Band C that can be found, the VOA will just say that you haven’t provided them with enough information to allow them to open a review of the band. If you became the taxpayer within the last 6 months you can propose a band, but to be successful you are likely to need more than you have currently. 

Other people in the road may also have looked at the valuation list and from that, make a judgement as to which house is likely to have challenged. A detatched 3 bed would be a fairly standard property type to be a D in most areas, so it won’t have been the house across the road.

TheJP

Neversurrender said:

Many thanks @tacpot12
Very well explained thankyou, and was my thinking also. But good to have it confirmed by another.
Cheers

@l@lincroft1710 is the person to help clarify further.

Neversurrender

@kim_13 Many thanks, that all makes sense