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

vivatifosi · 6 August 2008 at 11:47AM

Hi jamdown,

A couple of ideas...

1. Ask around your neighbours to see if any of them exercised right to buy (RTB) the end of 1990 or in 1991. That wouldn't have been in the paper, but would have been a valid sale that could be used as primary evidence in your case. If they did use RTB then you need to work out the price they paid PLUS the discount that they received to work out the open market value.

2. Look for flats on your estate on the microfilm for the end of 1990 (say September onwards). By the time they sold and reached completion it would probably have been around the time of the Antecedent Valuation Date (1st April 1991) from which all council tax values are set.

3. If that still yields nothing, think of other places that aren't necessarily in the same estate, but have a similar feel, similar value. See if any of those were on the market late 1990/1991. It isn't uncommon for such evidence to be used, both by the VOA and those making an appeal, where there isn't data for the estate available. If you do use such data, try and make a link to your estate (eg this estate is half a mile away, both are former Lambeth Council properties and you can see that they achieve similar sales values now and since 2000, plus the initial RTB price once discounts are taken into consideration was similar)

vivatifosi · 6 August 2008 at 7:05PM

Update time..

Good news. One of my appellants heard from the VOA today. They have decided not to go to Tribunal and to reband our outstanding batch of houses. We had 13 claims in, but in total there will be about 50 houses rebanded. That makes just short of 80 successes in total, and a total refund bill of about £110k!

Thanks to Guppy, Maisie, Zebedeee and everyone else who has helped with these cases along the way. Here endeth my work in Council Tax, but do you mind if I stick around the board for a bit longer. I think I might miss it!

Zebedeee · 14 August 2008 at 10:55PM

Oooh yes, vivatifosi! Don't go away! And many congratulations with all your successes. Maybe someone will nominate you for a CBE or some such? Brilliant work!

guppy · 14 August 2008 at 11:20PM

Belated congratulations, vivatifosi

Amazing what one person can achieve when they put their mind to it! Do stick around

vivatifosi · 15 August 2008 at 10:36AM

Aw thanks guys!!!!

I'm just twiddling my thumbs trying to work out who I can butt heads with next in the world of property and the government now CT is out of the way.

Not sure about the CBE zebedeee, not a worthy recipient, not in my eyes, and certainly not in the eyes of my local council or the VOA!

Frances63 · 15 August 2008 at 3:48PM

I bought my house in 2001. It is actually half a house as it was converted (around 1991/2) from one long thin house on a street corner into 2 freehold 'apartments'.

The split was done vertically so we are effectively 2 houses now (133 and 133A). I am on the front half of the split and so right on the main road with the back half behind me, hence no back garden for me. It is effectively now what is know as a 'cluster' or back-to-back home. The lady in the back half has a garden & her home has recently been extended into it.

The neighbour at 135 owns a home that is pretty much the same size as 133 was before it was cut in two.

However, 133, 133A (that's me) and 135 however all have the same band of council tax, band D. I can't believe that I am paying the same as 135 which is about 3 times bigger than my home!

I have today phoned the VOA and they told me they do not have a record of 133 before the conversion as council tax only came into being in 1993. They do have it registered as two seperate properties already.

The D banding is based on a 1991 valuation of £68k to £88k.

My home was sold to the people I bought it from in July 1996 for £92k. I bought it 5 years later for £182k. Is there a table for working out the average price increase in an area between 1991 and 1996? The VOA told me they didn't go up that much in those 5 years.

vivatifosi · 15 August 2008 at 6:03PM

Hi Frances,

There are tables showing the price increases between 1991 and 1996 but the VOA is right, for the most part prices didn't go up very much. If your house is in band D you are looking for a price reduction to the top of band C (ie less than £68k), realistically you are unlikely to find that much of a hike over that period, though it does depend on where you live. Indices mask local variations. Nationwide, Halifax and the government's "Communities" office (sorry I can't remember its actual name as they keep changing the departments and I can't keep up). If you have a look at any of those (or follow Martin's instructions on how to challenge your council tax) you should be able to establish a 1991 figure for your home.

If you can use this to show that the house where you live would have been worth less than £68k, or get close enough that you still think its worth looking into, then you still need to get additional information. If the house was first converted/sold in 1991/2 then this is the price that the banding should be based on. You may find that going back through local papers you can find an advert for the original development. I find when looking for developments you need to start from a good six months before the scheme was completed/sold as developers start marketing that far out. Any closer to the date of sale and you may have missed it. Have you got a copy of your house deeds? That may give you the right date to start looking for.

vivatifosi · 15 August 2008 at 6:50PM

Hi Frances,

Sorry am having a DOH! moment.. you may even be able to get the original price paid from your deeds. Sorry, its Friday and my brain's already gone off duty for the weekend!

ellybal · 22 August 2008 at 12:43PM

hi have just received notice from my LA that due to the rebanding of my home in Lancashire i shall be receiving a checque for £877 i followed all tips on this site and i am pleased with outcome:rotfl:

rathebrit · 24 August 2008 at 12:03PM

Hello All. I have asked the VOA that I am in the wrong council tax band. they have come back with total S*^$. can I refer them to your council tax calculater? would it stand up against them? I am sure VOA have also a tax calculater, but so far unable to trace it on line. when I do, I will post it on this page. any help would be gratefully received. regards raythebrit

bnoc wrote: »

Its all about making a convincing a case a possible for lowering your banding, so I would use whichever calculator added to my case rather than one that detracted from it.

They consider your house as it stands at this moment, then decide what it would have been worth in that condition and in that location on 1st April 1991.

Its about the value of the property rather than the price paid, otherwise one could buy a property off friend/family for a pound and be in Band A regardless of the value.

Don't panic when I say this because being outside the 6mths doesn't preclude your property being reconsidered by VOA but having looked at the guidance published it is six months from the date you move into the peoprty rather than from when the council get around to asking you to pay tax.

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

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