SamUK

iTrader: (1)

I have not been through the site yet...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/rec...nge#overpaying

Coffin Dodger

If and only if you can get your house re-classified into a lower band. Be careful though as they can put it up a band too

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Great, I guess I can look forward to countless cold calls from new companies springing up to rip the ar$e out of this one.

Super news for the Government, potentially billions of pounds to be refunded.

Miniman

iTrader: (2)

I did this for our house and got it successfully lowered by a band, saving roughly £400 per year for 5 years, earlier this year.

Our house was in the 2nd to top band, so I knew it could not go up (it's not a mansion!), so I had nothing to lose by trying to reduce it. The only thing that could happen was that it would remain in the same band and we continue paying the same rate.

I used various free websites to prove my point (moneysavingexpert included). Essentially I wanted to prove that the current banding was wrong according to current estimates of value and older estimates.

I also searched a few local estate agents to prove house selling today and their value/type/size compared to banding. Houses round our way are all slightly different so each needs to be considered on merit - I don't believe that was done back on the 90's when first implemented.

I also used Google Maps to show the land size - compared to others.

All the websites are free and I only spent one evening proving my point. I put it all onto 3 sheets of A4 and sent that off to the VOA office. The council are obliged to give you all the details how to contact them. There is really no need to pay anyone - there is no legal jargon involved, it's just about proving the value of your house - how many people read the housing pages of the free local paper - or peer in the window of the local estate agents?

Took about 4 weeks for the VOA to agree with me. About 4 weeks later the council send me a revised Council tax bill for this year - I owe them £60 for 2010/11! :-)

As for why I did it. Our roads were fecking awful after this years snow and I swear this year and last I had to replace some suspension due to pot holes and my bonnets pitted due to the new surfacing used. It got my goat that they charge me an extortionate amount and can't be bothered to fix the roads for months (one of the worst was recovered in late July, 6 months of pot holes!). Then in March, before all the roads were fixed, we received the new 2010 council tax bill which included an increase (again) including staff wage increase (which I haven't had for 2 years). At that point I really did feel I was being ripped off. I have absolutely no issues with making the council pay my money back. If the council actually fixed those roads I think I'd never have been bothered!