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https://valuationoffice.blog.gov.uk/2023/02/03/council-tax-band-challenges/

Council Tax band challenges

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Council Tax

[English] - [Cymraeg]

You can contact the VOA if you think your property may be in the wrong Council Tax band. Before challenging your band, it is important to know what to expect.

In this blog post, Council Tax Customer Journey Owner Richie Roberts explains the process.

Proposals

There are two ways you can challenge your Council Tax band. Which type of challenge you can submit depends on your circumstances.

In certain situations, we are required by law to review your band if you ask us to. This is classed as a formal challenge and called making a proposal.

You can make a proposal if:

  • you have been paying Council Tax on your property for less than six months
  • the VOA has changed your Council Tax band in the last six months

You can also make a proposal to tell us that your property has changed. For example, if it has been demolished or split up, or your local area has physically changed. There’s no time limit on this – you can do it at any time.

Band reviews

If you think your band is wrong but you’ve been paying Council Tax for more than six months, you can request a band review. Band reviews are informal challenges, and you can ask for one at any time.

Supporting evidence

If you’re making a proposal, it’s helpful for us and your challenge if you provide supporting evidence. While it is not a requirement, it’s useful to bear in mind that we make decisions based on the evidence available to us.

For band reviews, you need evidence to support your challenge. The quality of evidence you provide is key; we have to see strong supporting evidence to accept a band review request. Without it, we will not be able to review your band.

Evidence to support a proposal might be details of any disrepair, or the costs of repairing your home, including schedules of work. You can send us photos, too, if it helps.

If your proposal is a banding challenge, or if you are requesting a band review, your evidence could be the addresses of comparable properties.

We accept the addresses of up to five properties in a lower Council Tax band than yours, as long as these properties are similar to yours in age, style, design, size and type. They will need to be in the same street or estate if you live in a town or city, or within around 10 miles of your property if you live in the countryside. We’ll consider a wider distance if you live in a rural area.

You can also use evidence from house prices if your property or similar properties were sold between:

  • 1 April 1989 and 31 March 1993 in England
  • 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2005 in Wales

You’ll need to go to your local library to get this information.

Find out more about evidence that supports your challenge.

Next steps

After you request a band review, we look at your evidence. From this, we decide whether to accept your informal challenge. We usually let you know if we’ve accepted your challenge within a few days.

We are required by law to accept all proposals.

Once you have submitted a proposal, or we accept your band review, we will tell you when to expect our full decision. You can currently expect to wait up to four months.

Challenges have three outcomes; your band can go up, down, or stay the same. We may also review the bands of similar neighbouring properties to check that they are correct, which means their Council Tax bands could be moved up or down, too.

If you submit a proposal and disagree with our decision, you can usually appeal it to the independent Valuation Tribunal. You cannot appeal the outcome of a band review.

We are an executive agency of HMRC, so we are bound by strict laws around taxpayer confidentiality. This means, legally, we are unable to share information about the other properties we have used to inform our decision – even if this information is available through other sources.

You can read more about challenging your Council Tax band on GOV.UK.

We welcome your comments about this blog below but cannot discuss individual cases. Please do not share any personal information. We will not be able to publish any comments that include personal details.

Please direct all queries about individual cases to our contact form.

[English] - [Cymraeg]

Heriau band Treth Gyngor 

Gallwch gysylltu ag Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio (VOA) os ydych chi’n credu y gallai eich eiddo fod yn y band Dreth Gyngor anghywir. Cyn herio’ch band, mae’n bwysig gwybod beth i’w ddisgwyl.

Yn y blog hwn mae Perchennog Taith Cwsmer y Dreth Gyngor, Richie Roberts, yn esbonio’r broses.

Cynigion

Mae dwy ffordd y gallwch herio’ch band Dreth Gyngor. Mae pa fath o her y gallwch ei chyflwyno yn dibynnu ar eich amgylchiadau.

Mewn rhai sefyllfaoedd, mae’n ofynnol yn ôl y gyfraith i ni adolygu eich band os byddwch yn gofyn i ni wneud hynny. Mae hyn yn cael ei ystyried fel her ffurfiol a’r enw arno yw gwneud cynnig.

Gallwch wneud cynnig os:

  • rydych wedi bod yn talu’r Dreth Gyngor ar eich eiddo am lai na chwe mis
  • mae’r VOA wedi newid eich band Dreth Gyngor yn ystod y chwe mis diwethaf

Gallwch hefyd wneud cynnig i ddweud wrthym fod eich eiddo wedi newid. Er enghraifft, os yw wedi’i ddymchwel neu ei rannu, neu os yw eich ardal leol wedi newid yn ffisegol. Nid oes terfyn amser ar hyn - gallwch ei wneud unrhyw bryd.

Adolygiadau band

Os ydych chi’n credu fod eich band yn anghywir ond rydych wedi bod yn talu’r Dreth Gyngor am fwy na chwe mis, gallwch ofyn am adolygiad band. Mae adolygiadau band yn heriau anffurfiol, a gallwch ofyn am un ar unrhyw adeg.

Tystiolaeth ategol

Os ydych yn gwneud cynnig, mae’n ddefnyddiol i ni a’ch her os byddwch yn darparu tystiolaeth ategol. Er nad yw’n ofyniad, mae’n ddefnyddiol cadw mewn cof ein bod yn gwneud penderfyniadau ar sail y dystiolaeth sydd ar gael i ni.

Ar gyfer adolygiadau bandiau, mae angen tystiolaeth arnoch i gefnogi’ch her. Mae ansawdd y dystiolaeth a roddwch yn allweddol; mae’n rhaid i ni weld tystiolaeth gefnogol gref i dderbyn cais am adolygiad band. Hebddo, ni fyddwn yn gallu adolygu eich band.

Gallai tystiolaeth i gefnogi cynnig fod yn fanylion unrhyw adfeiliad, neu gostau atgyweirio eich cartref, gan gynnwys amserlenni gwaith. Gallwch anfon lluniau atom hefyd, os yw’n helpu.

Os yw eich cynnig yn her bandio, neu os ydych yn gofyn am adolygiad band, gallai eich tystiolaeth fod yn gyfeiriadau eiddo tebyg.

Rydym yn derbyn cyfeiriadau hyd at bum eiddo tebyg mewn band y Dreth Gyngor is na’ch un chi, cyn belled â bod yr eiddo hyn yr un fath â’ch un chi o ran oedran, arddull, dyluniad, maint a math. Bydd angen iddynt fod yn yr un stryd neu stad os ydych yn byw mewn tref neu ddinas, neu yn yr un pentref os ydych yn byw yng nghefn gwlad.

Gallwch hefyd ddefnyddio tystiolaeth o brisiau tai os gwerthwyd eich eiddo neu eiddo tebyg rhwng:

  • 1 Ebrill 1989 a 31 Mawrth 1993 yn Lloegr
  • 1 Ebrill 2001 a 31 Mawrth 2005 yng Nghymru

Bydd angen i chi fynd i’ch llyfrgell leol i gael yr wybodaeth hon.

Camau nesaf

Ar ôl i chi wneud cais am adolygiad band, edrychwn ar eich tystiolaeth. Wedi hyn, byddwn yn penderfynu a ydym am dderbyn eich her anffurfiol. Fel arfer byddwn yn rhoi gwybod i chi o fewn ychydig ddyddiau os ydym wedi derbyn eich her.

Mae’n ofynnol yn ôl y gyfraith i ni dderbyn pob cynnig.

Unwaith y byddwch wedi cyflwyno cynnig, neu pan fyddwn yn derbyn eich adolygiad band, byddwn yn dweud wrthych pryd i ddisgwyl ein penderfyniad llawn. Ar hyn o bryd gallwch ddisgwyl aros hyd at bedwar mis.

Mae tri chanlyniad i heriau; gall eich band fynd i fyny, i lawr, neu aros yr un peth. Efallai y byddwn hefyd yn adolygu bandiau eiddo cyfagos tebyg i wirio eu bod yn gywir, sy’n golygu y gallai eu bandiau Treth Gyngor gael eu symud i fyny neu i lawr hefyd.

Os byddwch yn cyflwyno cynnig ac yn anghytuno â’n penderfyniad, fel arfer gallwch apelio i’r Tribiwnlys Prisio annibynnol. Ni allwch apelio yn erbyn canlyniad adolygiad band.

Rydym yn asiantaeth weithredol i CThEF, felly rydym yn rhwym i gyfreithiau llym ynghylch cyfrinachedd trethdalwyr. Mae hyn yn golygu, yn gyfreithiol, na allwn rannu gwybodaeth am yr eiddo eraill rydym wedi’u defnyddio i lywio ein penderfyniad – hyd yn oed os yw’r wybodaeth hon ar gael o ffynonellau eraill.

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14 comments

  1. Comment by Louise posted on

    What happens if you do not respond on my challenge within the time frame you have set out in your first response when I first made my challenge?

    • Replies to Louise>

      Comment by VOA posted on

      We aim to provide a decision on band challenges within 90 days, but sometimes cases can take longer. If you submitted a band challenge more than 90 days ago and have not received a decision, please contact us using http://www.gov.uk/contact-voa.

  2. Comment by MR Philip R Hampton posted on

    Hello, I would like to know why there are different bands in the same apartment block, i am in band E whereas others are in bands D

  3. Comment by Bill posted on

    When following a planning application a house is substantially enhanced is there an automatic review of the Band? Houses in my road have been substantially upgraded but appear to remain in their old band allocation.

    • Replies to Bill>

      Comment by VOA posted on

      Hi Bill. Thanks for your message.

      Properties that have undergone improvements will be given an improvement indicator. If improvements are sufficient enough to trigger a band change, this will not happen until the property is sold.

  4. Comment by DAWN MARGARET LING posted on

    how do valuation office work out each band how can i tell if there are different types of properties in my area that i am on the correct band

  5. Comment by Judith Partridge posted on

    I have a new property that needs a VOA council tax valuation so that I can pay council tax on it. I can’t find the form on the VOA website to fill out. Please could you send me the link?

    • Replies to Judith Partridge>

      Comment by VOA posted on

      Hi Judith. You'll need to contact your local council. They will arrange for your property to be assessed.

  6. Comment by BRK posted on

    How can i find out the reason for tax band increase

  7. Comment by Terry posted on

    What if I live in a remote village where there are no comparison

  8. Comment by VOA posted on

    Thanks for your message.

    Council Tax bands are based on the value of a property at a set date in time, known as the valuation date. If you think your band is wrong, visit https://www.gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band.