VOA refuse to look at evidence due to previous Tribunal on Property

BrittJRW

The VOA refuses to even consider my claim for a reduction in my council tax band on account that the same property (a 2-bed flat in the same retirement complex) had been the subject of a previous Valuation Tribunal in which the band was reduced from F to E. However, following a freedom of information request, the VT could not produce the Decision. They provided me with a decision for a similar property instead, which had been reduced at tribunal from F to E. That was based on the original hugely inflated sold price when the property was new in 1997. However, over the last 20 years the sold prices for various identical flats in the same complex have sold for much less in comparison (which I contest reflect the true values) such that the Nationwide house price calculator places the flats clearly in Band C, with one or two outliers that just creep into Band D. The purchase price for my flat places it at the very lower end of Band C (almost Band .

I cannot believe the VOA and the Valuation Tribunal will not even look at the evidence I have meticulously presented.

Anyone have any ideas?

BrittJRW

That should read "Almost Band B'

fisher66

No idea if the process is the same now, but I appealed council tax bandings for a small house I owned in the early 2000s. As ai remember it was turned down and then I could appeal to a "higher" authority. The appeal was upheld. Can you appeal?

gwynlas

The problem is that your property is in a retirement complex and such properties are notoriously hard to sell bearing little relation to average prices for similar size flats on the iopen market. It might be worth appealing if you can produce a list of comparable sales over both markets for the past 27  years. However this possible reduction could lower council revenue and would acknowledge different criteria to normal banding.

lincroft1710

The Nationwide HPC is unreliable and would not be considered as grounds for reducing a CT band by the VOA. If there had been a previous appeal on your flat then CT legislation prohibits a second appeal on the same grounds on a dwelling. Further a fall in property values due to economic conditions cannot be considered as grounds for a CT band reduction.

BrittJRW

Thank you all for your replies. I think I may have reached the end of the road in my quest to challenge, despite my certainty that the true value of the 2-bed flats in the having been demonstrated clearly by all sold prices over the last 20 years. 
It seems the law prevents a second valuation tribunal even if requested by a new resident, and no matter how strong the evidence of the property being in the wrong band. Daylight robbery!

lincroft1710

BrittJRW said:

 
It seems the law prevents a second valuation tribunal even if requested by a new resident, and no matter how strong the evidence of the property being in the wrong band. Daylight robbery!

Blame the late M H Thatcher for not being able to make a second appeal. Her government wanted CT to be as  economical as possible, so by removing the right of a subsequent appeal to a higher body, imposing a 6 month time limit on appeals and if an appeal had been determined by a Valuation Tribunal, no right of a second appeal by a new CT payer, she hoped to save the government money.