Council Tax Band - Challenging based on HIGHER PRICED properties?

ccco

Hi there, first time homeowner here! I want to challenge my council tax band, but I can't meet the criteria Martin suggests and the VOA demands...

My flat is listed as band D, which seems absurd for a 2 bed flat with less than 70sq m of space! The same goes for all the other flats in my building. Some of them are 1 bed, but still band D. There is no other building like this in the immediate area; the rest are houses or flats above shops. The flats above the shops are bands B and C. I cannot check the value of the property in 1993 as it was built in 2009.

Neighbours on the next road over are on band D also, despite these being 3 bed houses with two receptions, gardens and driveways. Also valued at over double the price of my flat. Nationwide's House price index says, based on my sale price, I would have been in band C. This also does not take into consideration my road is much noisier, as it is next to a shopping centre car park.

Do I have any hope in getting my band reduced based on this information? Has anyone used a more expensive property in the same band as evidence your band should be lowered? I feel like this is an obvious case of my band being too high, but the Government website says you should provide evidence about similar properties in lower bands... 

lincroft1710

You will have to provide evidence of similar property in a lower band. Your flat could be at the lower end of the band, the 3 bed houses at the higher end. Depending on the area of the UK, Band D may not be exorbitant. As these flats are 15 years old it is quite likely the bands may have been previously challenged, but probably unsuccessfully. However try to find comparable flats in a lower band further afield.


1 April 1991 (not 1993 when property prices in most areas were lower) the date used for valuation purposes. House price indices are not reliable for accurate calculation of 1991 values.