Band change after renovations

Nobli

Hello, we had some work done on our house a few years after moving in. We made one of the bedrooms bigger and added a bathroom. I think that our council tax band changed because of this. Please does anyone know if this is allowed? I thought it was only if you bought a new house that the band might change...

lincroft1710

Nobli said:

Hello, we had some work done on our house a few years after moving in. We made one of the bedrooms bigger and added a bathroom. I think that our council tax band changed because of this. Please does anyone know if this is allowed? I thought it was only if you bought a new house that the band might change...

I think you need to check if your band actually did change. If the alterations were carried out pre 1 April 1993, then the band can be increased. Usually any post 1 April 1993 alterations cannot be reflected in the band until after the property has next been sold

Nobli

Ah, thank you! I think i got it wrong but am struggling to find the paperwork. I think the band was changed when we bought it in 2015. However, when we bought it, only a 10 metre square extension was added to the kitchen. Surely this would not push us up to the next band? They also added a prefab concrete garage at the bottom. Of the garden. This is only a shell though (no electrics). Most other houses have had similar extensions but do not have a garage as we are on the end of the terrace. Do you think that they included the garage? If it has no electrics, should they have?

lincroft1710

Garages do not need electrics! Blocks of lockups will not have electricity laid on to an individual garage.

Did you mean 10 metres square (100 sq metres) or 10 sq metres?

Let us assume you were in Band B (£52K max) If the notional April 1991 pre extension value was £51,500 and post extension value would be £53,000, then the band would go up to Band C 

Nobli

Haha! Definitely not 100!!!! 10 sq metres at most. How can I tell whether that amount of extra metres would increase the value of my house to the next band?

There are about 5 houses on my road that are in my band but none of them are terraced - they are all semi detached. They don't have a public right of way through their back garden and shared sewage like we all do in the terraces. Does this make any difference to value or is it all on Sq metres? 

Even if being in a terrace doesn't make a difference, is there any way to check if they calculated the size of our house wrongly? The estate agents info included the garage in the size.

lincroft1710

Nobli said:

Haha! Definitely not 100!!!! 10 sq metres at most. How can I tell whether that amount of extra metres would increase the value of my house to the next band?

With difficulty as you won't have access to actual 1991 house prices as they are not in the public domain so all you can really do is look at what bands houses of a similar age, type and size in the locality are in 

There are about 5 houses on my road that are in my band but none of them are terraced - they are all semi detached. They don't have a public right of way through their back garden and shared sewage like we all do in the terraces. Does this make any difference to value or is it all on Sq metres? 

Would tend to make very little difference

Even if being in a terrace doesn't make a difference, is there any way to check if they calculated the size of our house wrongly? The estate agents info included the garage in the size.

Only by physically measuring the outside of the house, adding all floors together and checking the result with the VOA's figure

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Nobli

Thank you for your replies. Do you know how we get to see the VOA's figure please?

lincroft1710

Nobli said:

Thank you for your replies. Do you know how we get to see the VOA's figure please?

You ask them what size they have for your home.