New build banding

Alfie100

Apologies if this is in the wrong part of the forum.

i have recently moved into a new build 2 bedroom end of terrace home and today received my first council tax bill and they have put me in band E.

i believe this to be totally wrong, the property is 79sqm and the new semi detached round the corner the same size and layout on the same development are band B.

Have looked at Martins how to challenge so went on the valuation office website to check and my property isn’t on there so at a loss now how to proceed.

is this the council guessing my banding and getting it totally wrong as other properties are 3 & 4 bedroom homes.

Thanks in advance.

sammyjammy

It sounds like a genuine error, ring them up and see what they say

lincroft1710

If your home's CT band isn't on the VOA website and you haven't received a Notice of Alteration of the Valuation List from the VOA, then I would suggest that the council have sent you a bill based on what they have estimated the band will be. 

As @sammyjammy has said you will have contact the council and ask for an explanation

Kim_13

Has someone possibly looked at the exterior and assumed it to be all one house?

lincroft1710

Kim_13 said:

Has someone possibly looked at the exterior and assumed it to be all one house?

As there doesn't appear to be an actual band in existence, there is a possibility (and I stress possibility) that instead of waiting for the VOA to assign a band, someone from the council may have made an incorrect assumption following a quick external inspection, in their haste to issue a CT bill  

Kim_13

lincroft1710 said:

Kim_13 said:

Has someone possibly looked at the exterior and assumed it to be all one house?

As there doesn't appear to be an actual band in existence, there is a possibility (and I stress possibility) that instead of waiting for the VOA to assign a band, someone from the council may have made an incorrect assumption following a quick external inspection, in their haste to issue a CT bill  

Would the council face any consequences for this? Or the OP if they couldn’t pay until the issue was resolved (as it seems to me that someone expecting a Band B bill might very well not be able to afford a Band E one.)

It’s a system that is operated on the basis that a band is correct until a determination is made otherwise, no matter how out of proportion that band may seem. So if there is no band, it doesn’t seem that a payment demand should be being made.

lincroft1710

Kim_13 said:

lincroft1710 said:

Kim_13 said:

Has someone possibly looked at the exterior and assumed it to be all one house?

As there doesn't appear to be an actual band in existence, there is a possibility (and I stress possibility) that instead of waiting for the VOA to assign a band, someone from the council may have made an incorrect assumption following a quick external inspection, in their haste to issue a CT bill  

Would the council face any consequences for this? Or the OP if they couldn’t pay until the issue was resolved (as it seems to me that someone expecting a Band B bill might very well not be able to afford a Band E one.)

It’s a system that is operated on the basis that a band is correct until a determination is made otherwise, no matter how out of proportion that band may seem. So if there is no band, it doesn’t seem that a payment demand should be being made.

If there was an actual CT band the council are duty bound to charge on it and if it was wrong the CT payer is expected to continue paying until it was corrected. If the CT payer was suffering financial hardship, the council would probably agree some form of payment plan.


Councils sending bills on estimated bands has been going on more or less since CT started. I don't know what would happen if a CT payer refused to pay on an estimated band. 


I doubt a council would suffer any consequences, most councils would agree something on an estimated band if it was shown to be patently excessive.