Re-claiming Council Tax

tortmad

My situation here is quite confusing.

In 2003 my dad purchased his council house. During the process i noticed that the banding for the council tax was too high and wrote to the council about this on my dad's behalf. They sent my dad a letter back saying that the banding was wrong and gave him a refund of £200. He was happy with this so i left it.

Now with all the publicity about council tax banding i am wondering if it would be worthwhile to write to them again about being overcharged council tax since day one or since he accepted the small payment of £200 is it too late for him.

Thank you.

vivatifosi

Hi tortmad,

I am not sure why the council would have given you money back for council tax without contacting the VOA (Valuation Office). Could the payment have been for something like his living alone and qualifying for a discount? That would be handled by the council and is a different type of refund.

If the council did agree that the banding was incorrect I would get a copy of the letter they would have sent and send a copy of it to the VOA stating that you appealed regarding the property within six months of moving in and can they please now reband your father as this hasn't happened as yet. You may also want to get evidence showing that adjacent houses are the same and in the lower band.

As you say, this is a very unusual circumstance and it isn't easy to know what the best course of action is, however I hope the above helps.