Changing Your Council Tax Band

Did you know your home may be in the wrong Council Tax Band and therefore you may be paying more than you should be in Council Taxes? Learn more about having your band reassessed.

Changing Your Council Tax Band

How are council tax bands decided?

When the Conservative Government of 1991 overhauled the council tax system, every house/flat had to be put into a valuation band - bands which were reliant upon accurate valuation of the properties at that time.

Unfortunately, due to the scale of the operation and limited time, valuations were rough to say the least and led to many incorrect valuations - some remaining unchallenged even to date.

How can I find out if my council tax band is incorrect?

A starting point is to compare the council tax band you have with the band similar properties in your street have - this can be achieved online and quickly for England and Wales here or Scotland here.

If you find a discrepancy between your banding and similar properties then a claim could be successful.

The next stage is to check the 1991 value of your home. Bands were set in 1991 based upon the valuation at that stage, so by checking what your property would have been worth then is a simple way to see you are in the correct band or not.

Using the purchase date and value, use Nationwides House Price Index Calculator to get a backdated value:

  • Insert the purchase value in property value
  • Select the purchase quarter and year in the valuation date 1 area
  • Select quarter 2 and 1991 for valuation date 2

This will give you the approximate value of the property when council tax bands were first created. Compare the value to decide which band you should be in.

Council tax bands

Council tax bands at 1991 property value

BandENGLAND AND WALES 1991 Property valueSCOTLAND 1991 Property value
AAll properties under £40,000All properties under £27,000
B£40,001 - £52,000£27,001 - £35,000
C£52,001 - £68,000£35,001 - £45,000
D£68,001 - £88,000£45,001 - £58,000
E£88,001 - £120,000£58,001 - £80,000
F£120,001 - £160,000£80,001 - £106,000
G£160,001 - £320,000£106,001 - £212,000
Hover £320,000Over £212,000

My council tax band is incorrect

If the above checks indicate a possibly incorrect banding, you can apply for a reassessment of your council tax band.

For England and Wales, appeal online to your local listing officer at the Valuation Office Agency.

For Scotland, appeal online to your local assessor at the Scottish Assessors Association.

What happens in a council tax band reassessment?

Depending upon how strong your case is your band can be adjusted, but in some cases where the valuation was correct but the banding is incorrect you can see not only your property but also neighbouring properties adjusted up.

If your appeal is successful, your band adjustment will be backdated to when you moved in and a refund made for any overpayments from that date.

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