Reclaim overpaid council tax

Former_MSE_Callum · 5 March 2019 at 7:15PM

Hi!

This is the discussion thread for the

Reclaim overpaid council tax guide

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goodlife77 · 6 March 2019 at 10:36AM

With councils desperately short of cash for schools, care for the elderly etc. and closing down children's centres and libraries, is now really a good time to start squeezing them further to reclaim a few quid from years ago that we didn't even know we might be owed and had long forgotten?
This is services for our local communities we are talking about, not some profit making corporation.

Nasqueron · 6 March 2019 at 11:09AM

goodlife77 wrote: »

With councils desperately short of cash for schools, care for the elderly etc. and closing down children's centres and libraries, is now really a good time to start squeezing them further to reclaim a few quid from years ago that we didn't even know we might be owed and had long forgotten?
This is services for our local communities we are talking about, not some profit making corporation.

MSE has long had this sort of approach, all end user centric without looking at the bigger picture. Come the next crash, all these people who had PPI and cancelled it (even if they didn't get a refund) won't be able to claim on the policy (a major problem with mortgages. The short term cash approach has long term consequences, I wonder how many people have been trying to cancel all sorts of insurance led by the PPI e.g. contents. building, CI, life etc without realising the consequences?

Chop-D · 6 March 2019 at 2:14PM

goodlife77 wrote: »

With councils desperately short of cash for schools, care for the elderly etc. and closing down children's centres and libraries, is now really a good time to start squeezing them further to reclaim a few quid from years ago that we didn't even know we might be owed and had long forgotten?
This is services for our local communities we are talking about, not some profit making corporation.

Agree with this! Local councils at the current time are making cuts to balance the books due to the reduction in funding from central government. Claiming small amounts back for each person now is likely to only mean future increases in council tax and the closure and reduction in services provided now.

Harlyns · 6 March 2019 at 2:39PM

Hi,

Newbie here! So apologies if posted in the wrong place!

I'm after some advice regarding whether I can be re-banded.

I bought my house in Dec 2007, it was at this point the council tax banding was changed to a B. The previous owner had bough the house a couple of years before when it was a council house and re-bricked it due to it having the old style cladding stuff as this was a process which was required in order to sell.

The rest of the neighborhood, a mixture of council and private house (previously council properties) are all banded as a Band A. When I checked online the property next door had a marker on it indicating a banding change possible when the property sells (it's currently private rental, previously bought from a council house, person died and left to relative who now rents it out), this property is identical and also re-bricked.

When I contacted the Council before regarding the banding back in 2008/2009 they informed me due to us purchasing the property and the re-bricking the banding was changed to a B.

I understand this but my house value is still around £180,000 on a good day (bought for £125,000 back in 2007), which still falls under the Band A bracket when checked online. Although the property was owned by the council in 1991 when the banding was published, if it was a private property it's value still would have been under the £40,000 threshold.

Do I have a case?

Thank you in advance.

lincroft1710 · 6 March 2019 at 3:15PM

Harlyns wrote: »

.

Do I have a case?

Not really.

Whichever house price index you used will not give an accurate figure as they are far too general and tend to undervalue 1991 prices. Also as you have already challenged the CT band, it will have been fully investigated at that time.

cookie666 · 6 March 2019 at 7:51PM

If I've already challenged the CT banding (did it when I moved in 2012 from a G to F) but fear my maths may have been out.

Can I redo this as looking at the whole street we are all on the wrong band according to the Nationwide BS calculator most on the street are currently E's when should be D's.

Or would me looking into again cause problems?

MoJo1st · 7 March 2019 at 2:53PM

HI, I stay in a 3apt terrace house with a double porch with my next door neighbour in exactly same house but on a lower band than me. The four 4apt terraced houses straight across the road also have a lower band than me. I appealed some years ago with photograph evidence about this anomaly, but the council dismissed my appeal on the grounds that it had to be made within 6 months after the tax was set in 1991. I have been in my house since new in 1985. I would appreciate any help thanks.

MoJo1st · 7 March 2019 at 3:21PM

thanks anybody.

lincroft1710 · 7 March 2019 at 3:28PM

cookie666 wrote: »

If I've already challenged the CT banding (did it when I moved in 2012 from a G to F) but fear my maths may have been out.

Can I redo this as looking at the whole street we are all on the wrong band according to the Nationwide BS calculator most on the street are currently E's when should be D's.

Or would me looking into again cause problems?

BS calculator seems an apt description, as it is inaccurate! You can ask for a further review, but without some hard evidence to support your claim (the NW calculator is not hard evidence) you will just get the standard response that your CT band has already been thoroughly investigated and accordingly reduced.

lincroft1710 · 7 March 2019 at 3:55PM

MoJo1st wrote: »

HI, I stay in a 3apt terrace house with a double porch with my next door neighbour in exactly same house but on a lower band than me. The four 4apt terraced houses straight across the road also have a lower band than me. I appealed some years ago with photograph evidence about this anomaly, but the council dismissed my appeal on the grounds that it had to be made within 6 months after the tax was set in 1991. I have been in my house since new in 1985. I would appreciate any help thanks.

When you say "stay", do you mean "live" and by "apt" do you mean "bedrooms"? What is a "double porch" and how is it significant?

You can ask for a band review setting out the reasons you believe your band is incorrect (the other houses in a lower band).

Reclaim overpaid council tax

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