Dividing house into two - Council Tax

mrs.frugal

hi, I'm struggling to find out how to proceed….

I have a one-bed granny flat; my daughter has a 4-bed house [to which g/flat is attached].

We have always paid as one household [since we have a connecting door, that has been ok]; the property is in Band E.

But things change - my daughter is now a single parent on benefits [so could be getting a discount] - and a granny flat attracts a 50% discount.

My Q is - how do I fFIND OUT what would be more advantageous?

[a] staying as we are on a full-fat Band E

or

[b] Closing off the inter-connecting door, and going down the 2-household route?

I am reluctant to approach my Council [and their website doesn't provide much help], in case they take us down a road that will cost more.

Is there someone [like a 'council tax accountant'] that I could approach to help? I have spoken to a friend in the VO, but he doesn't have any direct knowledge of how the Council would deal with this.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mrs Frugal

p00hsticks

I suspect it's unlikely to produce much (if any) saving, even allowing for the 25% single person discount.

Council tax on a band E property is calculated as 11/9 of the standard (Band D) rate.

Band A properties are 6/9ths of the rate, so even two Band A properties pay more than a single Band E property (not taking account of any discount) - and it;s unlikely that the downgrades as a result of the division would be anything near that low.

That;s even before you consider things like extra standing charges on separate utility supplies ….

lincroft1710

Unless the only access to your flat is via the interconnecting door and your flat has its own kitchen and WC, then the house and flat should be separately banded. An interconnecting door does not stop 2 self contained dwellings each having their own CT band

mrs.frugal

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81989825#Comment_81989825

Many thanks p00hsticks - this is the first 'hard info' I've seen in discussions of Council Tax

Mrs Frugal

p00hsticks

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81990616#Comment_81990616

The explanation of the ratio of the bands is usually included in a leaflet accomanying the council tax bill, which also includes a summary of how the tax is allocated, but msot people discard it without looking.

You can see the ratio of other bands comared to the Band D standard here

Council Tax Bands Explained (A-H) | Complete 2025-26 Guide

mrs.frugal

Oh dear, P00hsticks - you are right, I have just discarded the info accompanying the bill, without looking at it….NEVER AGAIN!!!!