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

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  • Hi there

    According to the Valuation Agency website 34 of the 40 identical semis on our road are Band C (including ourselves).

    Then there are 6 that are listed as Band B - the only difference in the listing is that these 6 houses all have an "effective date" of 1st April 1993.

    The "effective date" column is blank on the listings for 34 Band C houses.

    2 of the Band B houses are the semi adjoining ours & the house directly opposite.

    Does anyone know what causes these different entries to the listing? Is it simply that these 6 neighbours have all successfully contested their banding at various points & had their claims backdated to 1/4/93 or is that simply too good to be true?

    Thanks
  • beingjdc
    beingjdc Posts: 1,680 Forumite
    Done!

    They rang me this afternoon, after eleven months of this hassle, and said they had no idea why I was in Band F, and would I agree to Band D if they sent me the relevant forms.

    No refund as it took them a year to value us so we were in massive arrears, but we will, once the paperwork is done, have gone from owing them £1200 to owing them £130, and our payments next year will be down from around £180 to £125.

    Thanks for your help everyone.
    Hurrah, now I have more thankings than postings, cheers everyone!
  • Well done, beingjdc! At long last! Congratualtions on the good news - it just shows how dogged determination can pay off.
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,545
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    Causey - I think you'll find your supposition is in fact the case! In any case speak to VOA and ask them. If so ask them to similarly reduce yours.

    Exvoperson - do you charge 30% of whole refund, or just first year's refund?
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
  • Causey - I think you'll find your supposition is in fact the case! In any case speak to VOA and ask them. If so ask them to similarly reduce yours.

    thanks for replying! - i have a form from them to fill in & return already but i was a bit nervous about going ahead in case i messed up my band B neighbour's bandings.

    Will hopefully post on the success stories thread in a few months!
  • vivatifosi
    vivatifosi Posts: 18,746
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    Great news beingjdc,

    About time too!!!! So no tribunal after all that...

    And to anyone that's new to this thread, beingjdc is a great example of someone who has been posting for a while, kept chipping away in the background and finally got a result. As Zebedee says, there's a lot to be said for dogged determination!
    Please stay safe in the sun and learn the A-E of melanoma: A = asymmetry, B = irregular borders, C= different colours, D= diameter, larger than 6mm, E = evolving, is your mole changing? Most moles are not cancerous, any doubts, please check next time you visit your GP.
  • Hi there / all

    I have noticed the VOA have updated there website with this information in response to people reclaiming council tax due to re-banding and with reference to some of the points raised on this Money Saving Website:

    http://www.voa.gov.uk/index.htm

    LOOK UNDER THE SECTION:

    "You may have heard some surprising things about the VOA and council tax banding. Here are the facts..."

    Does this mean that successfully reclaiming council tax as described on this website is now unlikely?

    Any help would be gratefully appreciated before I start the process!

    Many thanks

    Mark
  • guppy
    guppy Posts: 1,084
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    MR.R wrote: »
    I have noticed the VOA have updated there website with this information in response to people reclaiming council tax due to re-banding and with reference to some of the points raised on this Money Saving Website:

    ...

    Does this mean that successfully reclaiming council tax as described on this website is now unlikely?

    No, nothing has changed in my opinion, the website is just trying to discourage people from appealing without actually stopping to consider if their band appears wrong in the first place or understanding how the bandings are worked out.

    If you have reasonable case, you might well get the band reduced, though some people have found it a lot easier than others depending on their individual situation..

    Martin's article gives a rough guide to help you work out if you might be in the wrong band (see below).


    HM_CounTax_WrongBand_3.gif


    Theres loads of info on this thread, good luck :)
  • Hey Thanks Guppy - Your advice has spured me on!

    I presume you've had success too - so congratulations! and having read Martins info and processes to make a claim:

    Yes - we score a PASS on Martins 'NEIGHBOUR CHECK' because we are in a block 8 flats, where 7 flats (including us) are in BAND 'E ' while 1 x (similar) flat is on BAND 'D'.

    On Martins VALUE check and calculator its also a PASS but....its borderline! The Band D flat was valued in 1991 at 86,773 and the 1991 BAND D Council Tax listing was £68,001 - £88,000. Mmmm, so it will be tight, guess the Council might be able to argue the case there? I reckon its worth a go though but do you know of a place where I can secure further proof of a property's value in 1991 to back this up?

    Also one last question in case you have experience of this too, worse case scenario, rather than lower 7 flats to BAND 'D', what if the Council just decide to raise the 1 x Flat on BAND 'D' to BAND 'E' (like the other 7)?

    Have you ever heard if they can make that Flat pay the difference that they would have technically owed from the previous years they have lived there? (Even though that seems unfair as they would have unwittingly took the flat knowing they were on BAND 'D').

    Once more many thanks for all you help...

    Mark
  • I succesfully had my band reduced from an E to D 3 years ago and received a refund. Now, this morning, I have just received a letter saying it was a misake and they have put it back up to an E again. Can they do this? I have the original letter they sent me stating it was being reduced to a D.
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