Council Tax Cost Cutting: reduce your band and grab any discounts Discussion Area

I just wanted to give my experiences of trying to appeal or tax band.

We first sent our appeal in March 2007, but due to mess-ups with the appeals dept we have only just been given an appeal date for Oct this year. But that's another story.

The council is Glasgow.

We have had a visit from the assessor and our appeal seems to have been blown out the water. I followed the steps in Martins article, and it seemed to indicate that we had a solid case. I live in a modern 4 floor block of flats built in 2000. The 2 flats on the ground floor are band D, and we're band E - so that was a start. The flat opposite ours sold recently, and using the calculator to backdate the price to 1991, it indicated that we should be in band D or possibly C - so that was another tick in the box. There are also other properties nearby ours of a similar or bigger size that are band C and D, and the flat we were in before was far newer and bigger and it was band D. So based on all this we contacted the appeals board.

When we had a meeting with the assessor to go over our case, they seemed to have overwhelming evidence that showed that the band was right. The 2 flats on the ground floor are slightly smaller (by a few square metres), so that's why they are lower. When our band was given, they compared our flats to a block that had existed in 1991, but was in a slightly worse area and also slightly smaller flats. Those flats are band D, so they made us E. The flats nearby that are lower bands are all older style tenements, and although they are much bigger floor space wise and modern fitted out, they don't compare tenement with modern flats. The previous flat we lived in is in a worse area, so even though it was brand new and bigger, the area caused the lower band.

So, now that we've been told all of that I don't think we're going to proceed as there would be no point. It would be a waste of day off work to be told that we're not getting changed.

It just annoys me that they only consider like for like. Many modern fitted out tenement flats are much more appealing than newly built modern flats.

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

Is it worth me trying to get my rented house rebanded?

We are renting a 1-bed house, end-of-terrace (row of 3). We are currently band C. The other end-of-terraces are also band C, with the house in the middle being band B.

BUT in the next road along, there are many 2-bed and 3-bed houses with big gardens and driveways, and they are all band C and D. I presume the 2-beds are band C, although there is a house for sale there now advertised as 3 bedrooms and that is band C.

Also the valuation check shows my house was worth £47k in 1991 which is in the middle of band B. I have done this check on the other end-of-terraces and they all fall into band B too. The mid-terrace also comes back as band B (using all 4 sold prices and dates since 2000).

There is a slight complication in that our living room was extended at some point (from a length of 9'10" to 16'3").

Do I have a case here?

Hi there.

It's hard to say at this stage whether you have a case or not. You will find that houses worth more or less than yours will be in the same band as you, simply because it is a banding system and not a sliding scale. You need to get some hard evidence together of houses the same as yours, in value if not in appearance, being of the lower band. If you can gather a number of these (the more the merrier) then your case begins to strengthen.

Simply working back values using the calculator is not sufficient for the VOA, you will need actual selling prices from 1991 which can be found in the property pages archives of your local newspaper (often held at the library.)

You mention an extension to your property. It would depend when this was built as to whether it will affect the tax band. If it was pre-1991 then it could have made the house worth more at the time the bands were set, if after this time it shouldn't be taken into consideration by the VOA.

Hope that helps!

Zebedeee

quantium wrote: »

I have read, maybe incorrectly, that home improvements are not usually considered for additional council tax until the property is sold. Is this correct? If it is, does this apply if the house is demolished and rebuilt?

Dear Quantium

You are correct on the question of improvements however a rebuild is different. When the house is demolished there is no unit of assessment or 'hereditament as its called. The VOA will then remove the assessment from the council tax list. When the new house is built because there is no list entry for that property it is classed as a new property rather than an improved one. The VOA will then put the new property in the list from the date it was finished at the correct band rather than in the band that the original property was in.

If you are self building and taking a long time doing it and live in a caravan then the van will be assessed normally at band A. If you move into the house when only part is finished you could try to get the part house assessed for CT. If the unfinished part needs structural works then the VOA cannot assume the house is finished. They will assess it as a part finished house. The finishing works then become improvements which cannot be reflected in the banding untill the property is sold!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards

ExVOperson

Help?!

We have just received notification from our local council that we owe them £60+ for council tax for a flat we rented 15 years ago! Seems the current tenants have applied for it to be re-banded and it has gone up a band. This has been back-dated to 1993. We are expected to pay this within 14 days. Can they legally demand this money? :mad: