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

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Comments

  • LimaBravo!
    LimaBravo! Posts: 1 Newbie
    Hello,

    Any guidance appreciated....

    In April I moved into a new build house. The development has 27 houses from 2 bedroom terraced to 4 bedroom detached and 4 bedroom townhouses and some flats. It's on a private road which we pay a service charge for as well as for lighting and garden maintenance.

    According the 1991 valuation calculator, it appears that all the properties have been banded one band higher than they should be. Is there any advice for this scenario? A lot of the older neighbouring houses are lower bands, but there is also a 2004 high end development with similar houses which is in the same higher band, although these house prices are a lot higher (circa 35% more against the 1991 valuation).

    Is there any guidance for appealing the council tax banding in this scenario i.e. the most comparable houses are much higher spec and much more expensive?
    Thanks in advance
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,640 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    LimaBravo! wrote: »
    Hello,

    Any guidance appreciated....

    In April I moved into a new build house. The development has 27 houses from 2 bedroom terraced to 4 bedroom detached and 4 bedroom townhouses and some flats. It's on a private road which we pay a service charge for as well as for lighting and garden maintenance.

    According the 1991 valuation calculator, it appears that all the properties have been banded one band higher than they should be. Is there any advice for this scenario? A lot of the older neighbouring houses are lower bands, but there is also a 2004 high end development with similar houses which is in the same higher band, although these house prices are a lot higher (circa 35% more against the 1991 valuation).

    Is there any guidance for appealing the council tax banding in this scenario i.e. the most comparable houses are much higher spec and much more expensive?
    Thanks in advance

    House price indices are inaccurate, you can only try and persuade VOA and (if you have appealed) a Valuation Tribunal that your houses are more comparable with the neighbouring older houses than the 2004 houses.
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
  • ikib
    ikib Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    My son lives in a bedsit [room with ensuite shower and toilet] he is in the same band as a one bed property in his area, if you add up all the tax charged in his 'house divided into 8 rooms' it would be over £8000 per year. Should a bedsit be in a lower band than band A or is that the lowest possible?
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    edited 27 June 2018 at 7:38PM
    ikib wrote: »
    My son lives in a bedsit [room with ensuite shower and toilet] he is in the same band as a one bed property in his area, if you add up all the tax charged in his 'house divided into 8 rooms' it would be over £8000 per year. Should a bedsit be in a lower band than band A or is that the lowest possible?

    Band A is the lowest valuation band (a reduction below Band A can occur in some cases due to disability but that is by way of a council tax discount than a physical change to the band).

    As far as the valuation office are concerned his 'bedsit' is a self contained dwelling and no different to a flat. Almost every dwelling in these sort of cases is a Band A.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • ikib
    ikib Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 27 June 2018 at 9:06PM
    His 12 foot by 8 foot bedsit is in the same band as 3 bed semi's across the road from him, does this mean that those people have had a 'right result'?:I looked up Council tax by postcode and found the houses in band A aswell.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    It depends on the house values in the area and whether or not they fall in to the valuation range for that specific band.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,640 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    ikib wrote: »
    His 12 foot by 8 foot bedsit is in the same band as 3 bed semi's across the road from him, does this mean that those people have had a 'right result'?:I looked up Council tax by postcode and found the houses in band A aswell.

    3 bed houses in Band A are not uncommon depending on the area
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
  • rabbitlover
    rabbitlover Posts: 13 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker
    ikib wrote: »
    His 12 foot by 8 foot bedsit is in the same band as 3 bed semi's across the road from him, does this mean that those people have had a 'right result'?:I looked up Council tax by postcode and found the houses in band A aswell.

    I think a lot of people feel disgruntled. I know I certainly do as I am in the same band as people here who have had huge extensions and
    conservatories. Nothing we can do, unfortunately.
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,640 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    rabbitlover wrote: »
    I think a lot of people feel disgruntled. I know I certainly do as I am in the same band as people here who have had huge extensions and
    conservatories. Nothing we can do, unfortunately.

    CT legislation allows current owners to extend their homes without the band being increased. But following a sale the band can be increased. The addition of a conservatory on its own will not usually lead to a band increase. It is also unusual for an extension to lead to a band increase of more than one.
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
  • Woby_Tide
    Woby_Tide Posts: 5,344 Forumite
    First Post Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    Next steps?

    So having purchased a property in January I appealed and was just granted a reduction backdated to the original build date in 2003. Obviously I only gain a bit from this but what can I do for

    a) previous occupiers
    b) neighbours

    I presume the previous occupiers can request a repayment but the neighbours are all now stuck in the wrong band presumably as none of them moved in within 6 months. Is there anything the others can do?
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