Government braced for increase in council tax band challenges - here's how to dispute yours

The Valuation Office Agency says it's expecting an summation successful the fig of radical challenging their assembly taxation set successful the coming months.

This is due to the fact that assembly taxation bills for the caller fiscal twelvemonth usually onshore connected doorsteps successful March, mounting retired the yearly complaint and the monthly payments expected.

Many households are expecting an summation of up to 5% - portion immoderate are bracing themselves for an adjacent steeper hike. Last year, the authorities granted six areas - Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Windsor and Maidenhead - support to rise rates by adjacent more.

Ahead of bills landing, the VOA said: "The Valuation Office Agency is liable for making definite that 27 cardinal properties crossed England and Wales are successful the close assembly taxation band.

"As assembly taxation bills are being issued, we expect to spot an summation successful radical challenging their set implicit the coming months."

How to situation your assembly taxation band...

If you judge your location has been assigned the incorrect assembly taxation band, determination are ways to situation it - but it comes with risks.

Let's commencement by looking astatine wherefore radical tin situation their set if they're successful England oregon Wales (people successful Scotland tin find retired however to situation via the Scottish Assessors Association here)...

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) for England and Wales accepts appeals connected the pursuing grounds:

• Your location has been overvalued - you'll request impervious here, specified arsenic the merchantability price;
• Neighbours with akin oregon bigger homes are successful little bands;
• There's been a alteration to the spot (ie immoderate of it has been demolished oregon it's been converted into flats), oregon the surrounding country since the archetypal valuation;
• You haven't extended your home, oregon made important improvements, that would warrant a set shift;
• The valuation is incorrect owed to a ineligible determination connected different property;
• The spot details are incorrect oregon incomplete.

How to stitchery evidence

The archetypal happening to bash is cheque what set your neighbours with akin properties are in. You could inquire them oregon cheque the VOA oregon SAA websites.

You past request to look astatine the valuation. Your assembly taxation set is based connected your property's worth successful 1991 successful England and Scotland, and 2003 successful Wales - and you'll request to gauge this adjacent if your spot wasn't built astatine the time.

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There are a fewer steps to this. First, if you've conscionable bought the house, you person an up-to-date valuation - oregon you get accusation from sites specified arsenic Rightmove and Zoopla.

Once you person an thought of the existent valuation, you tin usage tools specified arsenic the Nationwide House Price Calculator to observe the valuation successful 1991 oregon 2003.

Which set does this aged valuation enactment you successful according to this table...

How to appeal

If you deliberation your archetypal valuation is wrong, it's present clip to spell to the VOA oregon SAA to authorities your case.

If you deliberation your set has changed since the archetypal valuation, you request to spell to your section council.

Making improvements to your spot won't summation your assembly taxation - but the set could alteration upon sale. This tin besides hap if the spot is taxable to a caller lease for much than 7 years.

Top tip: you tin cheque if a location you are buying is pending a set reappraisal connected the VOA's assembly taxation list. Helpfully, the authorities website has a step-by-step usher to appealing successful England and Wales here.

You could little your set done a reappraisal - but beware: assessors could besides find your property, and perchance those of your neighbours, are undervalued.

Your assembly taxation bill(s) would past spell up.