main content Council tax re-banding - media headlines

The media have recently run articles suggesting that many Council tax payers have been overcharged and should claim refunds back to 1993 due to their banding being incorrect.

Please note that the articles have on occasion been misleading in the administrative and legal position. The band for a property is determined by the Valuation Office Agency not the local authority. Banding is currently based on 1991 house values even though Council tax did not come into being until 1993. It is possible that properties are re-banded and the new banding applied back to the start of Council tax if appropriate.

Appeals against banding can be made in certain circumstances:

• You have moved in to the property within the last 6 months
• The band has been set by the Valuation Office Agency within the last 6 months 
• You have altered the property (usually by demolishing part of it) and the value has decreased, the surrounding area has changed which affects the value or you have made disabled alterations to the property
• You start or stop using part of the property for business purposes.

If a neighbour has their property re-banded sometimes the Valuer will look at the nearby houses and decide to apply the same change to them. It is therefore possible for you to be affected by a banding change that you did not instigate. If this happens you will be written to with the information.

Your current band is shown on your Council tax bill or you can look it up online at the Valuation Office Agency website.