Council tax challenge where all neighbours in the same band

haplesshippo

I am considering informally challenging my council tax band. My property is an apartment in a purpose-built block constructed in the 1990s, with two bedrooms, one kitchen / living room and one bathroom. Floor space is 638 square feet. It is council tax band D which seems high for this type of property. I used the MSE calculator to find the equivalent value in 1991 and it stated £56,018 which would be band C.

The point which confuses me is the instruction in the MSE article, to determine the council tax band of your immediate neighbours and use this as evidence to challenge. However, all 20 flats in my block are of near identical size and all have council tax band D. So using my neighbours properties as evidence is not an option.

I have looked on Rightmove for 2 bed flats in my post code district and I have found 6 flats and 3 maisonettes of similar size or larger, with council tax band C. I cannot find any equivalent properties with council tax band D on there.

There is also the fact that our access road is a private road, and is maintained through the service charge, so we do not benefit from council maintenance in this regard. Based on all of the above I very much feel that my property should also be council tax band C.

The MSE article suggests I should be looking for properties of a similar size and age, in my immediate neighbourhood. However, this does not seem possible. I can submit my challenge with the 6 flats noted above as evidence. They all seem very similar, in terms of being within purpose-built blocks, although the properties are older than mine.

Would it be worth a challenge on this basis? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

MeteredOut

You say you have found 6 flats and 3 maisonettes of similar size or larger with a lower band. But, how many did you look at, and how many of a similar size or larger have a band D?

If 90% of those are band D, it could be those that are Band C that are wrong. But if those are all the comparable properties, then you're case might be stronger.

I don't think having a service charge changes a banding - an ever increasing number of properties now have some sort of service charge or factoring agreement in place.

lincroft1710

Forget the access road maintenance, complete non starter. VOA will pay no attention to MSE (or any other house price index) so you are left with Band C flats/maisonettes you have found. Chances are VOA will say the Band C properties are not similar enough to yours, but if you don't ask, you don't get

haplesshippo

All the 2 bed properties I found on Rightmove of similar size were band C. I cannot find any equivalent properties with council tax band D. However, on Rightmove they are sparsely located between quarter mile to one mile away from my property.

I read something which suggested that the VOA would only consider properties within a quarter mile of my property and there are no equivalent properties up for sale so close. I am not sure how else you can find out the size of properties in your area other than Rightmove.

MeteredOut

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82041008#Comment_82041008

I suspect the VOA will say there are similar properties - those in your block - and they are all Band D too.

Have you considered getting everyone in your block together and each submitting a request? However, if your only data point is the MSE calculator giving a "Band C equivalent 1991 value", then I think that might be a challenge.

lincroft1710

Have you considered getting everyone in your block together and each submitting a request?

Wouldn't achieve anything. OP should just concentrate on providing the VOA with the evidence of the Band C properties. As OP's block was built in the 1990s, there will probably be relevant sales evidence which may explain why they are in Band D

haplesshippo

Thanks. Maybe there is some good reason why our block in particular is band D, despite containing modest 2 bedroom flats, but no good reason comes to mind.

I have found a couple more on the adjoining street now. So I have 4 or 5 which are well within half a mile. I will submit the screenshots from rightmove as evidence of the flat sizes, but ensure that I double check the council tax bands for those blocks/properties against the gov.uk website as I know that I cannot rely on estate agents marketing as solid evidence that the council bands are correct.

I think this is the best I can achieve without literally going round and knocking on doors, which is not really a done thing in London and - with such a high ratio of tenancy wrt owner/occupiers in my borough - would not really achieve much in terms of collecting evidence.

lincroft1710

Can you find any 1990s sales evidence on the Land Registry website?

Band D in London is not that surprising (obviously depending on the borough and precise part of that borough)

haplesshippo

The block was completed in 1998. According to land registry website, the flats were all originally sold in 1998 at prices between £92,995 to £109,995.

My flat specifically was sold for £99,995.

lincroft1710

Coincidentally I bought my house in 1998 for less than £85,000 and I'm in Band D, so Band D may well be correct. I would imagine the VOA used the 1998 sale price to arrive at the band, as having details of 99.99% of all property sales in England, it would be relatively easy for them to calculate a notional 1991 value

haplesshippo

Would there not be an argument to say that, even if the Band D was correct in 1998, it is no longer correct in 2026? Based on my evidence collection, it certainly seems to be an outlier in terms of similar size flats in the postcode district, which are all in Band C.

I have now submitted my challenge based on 7 similar sized properties within half a mile of mine which have Band C. The supporting evidence was the flat size data from Rightmove, backed up by the council tax bands for the blocks from gov.uk.