TWO couples are fuming after they found out they pay more council tax than their neighbours.
Both pairs pay £300 extra to live in almost identical homes to the people next door.
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Ron and Eileen Fowler along with Brian and Pat Sayers live in the Empress Riverside Park in East Farleigh, near Maidstone, Kent.
They recently discovered that their home is in a different council tax band to their neighbours, despite living side-by-side in very similar buildings.
The Fowlers and the Sayers live in homes which are classed in council tax Band B, meaning they pay £1,869 a year.
But astonishingly their neighbours are in Band A, meaning they have to cough-up £264 less every year.
The inconsistency first came to light when one of the residents at the Park watched a Martin Lewis Money Show on TV suggesting that residents could lower their bills by challenging their council tax banding.
The viewer did just that, and after applying for a reassessment to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), their house was downgraded from Band B to Band A in just five days.
The resident even received a subsequent repayment for all of the surplus council tax they had paid since moving in.
As you’d imagine, this caused quite the stir among the Park’s residents, and others quickly got to work to see if they could get a similar discount.
It was discovered that of the 34 properties at the residency, 26 were classed as Band A, while the remaining eight were determined as belonging in the pricier Band B.
There are obvious distinctions between some of the homes, as they come in single or double units, with the latter effectively being twice the size of the former.
But bizarrely the band ratings didn’t follow this glaring difference, with some double units falling into Band A.
Both the Sayers and the Fowlers challenged their bandings, hoping to be downgraded to lower-cost Band A.
Neither pair found the process efficient or easy.
Mr Fowler, 69, said: “We stated our claim a year ago, and just couldn’t get a decision from them.”
Mr Sayers is deaf, and Mrs Sayers is blind, so their neighbour Andrea Wells kindly assisted the couple with their application.
Mrs Wells said: “It’s taken repeated phone calls over a long period to get any response.
“At one stage, someone did tell me on the phone, ‘Oh yes, sorry, you should be Band A’, but then nothing happened.”
Last week, both couples finally received identical answers from the council with an unwelcome outcome.
They received identical letters from valuation officer Lucy Dyer, which stated that after “an informal review” their requests for re-banding were refused.
To make matters worse, they were told the decision could not be appealed.
Eileen Fowler, 72, said: “It just doesn’t seem right.”
Pat Sayers, 88, agreed: “It’s not so much the money, it’s the principle of the thing. It’s unfair that we should pay more than others, some of whom actually have bigger homes than ours.
“There are other residents on the park just as frustrated as ourselves, but we are not giving up.”
The couples have arranged an interview with their local MP, Helen Grant, at her next surgery.
A spokesman for Maidstone council said: “The council tax banding decision is made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), so if residents believe that their banding is incorrect and need to appeal, this challenge would have to go through the VOA.”
The problem comes as all council tax bandings are based on what the property was worth on April 1, 1991.
Band A is for properties then valued at up to £40,000. Band B is for properties then valued from £40,000 to £52,000.
But this is little help to the Fowlers and Sayers, who’s homes didn’t exist in 1991, like many others around the UK.
Instead they are at the mercy of a VOA estimation of what their property is worth
The Agency says their estimations depend on a property’s size, character and location.
The problem for the Fowlers and the Sayers is that the VOA only has to consider a band request if council tax has been paid on it for less than six months.
In other words, they must consider a banding reassessment application if the resident has owned the property for less than half a year.
Unfortunately, the Fowlers have lived on the park for five years, and the Sayers have lived there for 13.
This means they are over the six month limit for the VOA being obligated to consider a review.
Instead, after this point, although residents can request a band review, there is no legal requirement for the VOA to do one.
The VOA has insisted it would take forward reviews where there was strong evidence that the banding was wrong.
For such evidence, the VOA would like to see proof that five properties of a similar size, age, type and location have been given a different band.
The VOA said: “We want to do our best to make sure customers are in the right band. We take forward band reviews where there is strong supporting evidence that shows a band is wrong.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on individual cases.
“We work extremely hard to ensure that all domestic properties are banded correctly for council tax purposes.
“We carefully consider various factors, including a property’s specific location, size, age, layout and character when determining the appropriate Council Tax band.
“Each valuation depends on the facts of the individual case.”
How to change your council tax band
If you, like the Fowlers and Sayers, think that you’re in the wrong council tax band, then you need to formally apply for a reassessment.
Contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales or the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) in Scotland to do this.
Gather together evidence showing you’re paying more – this could be having addresses of similar properties to yours in a lower band, for example.
As said above, the VOA says their estimations depend on a property’s size, character and location.
If they agree that your property is in the wrong band, it will contact you to let you know your band will be changed.
It can take up to two months for the VOA to review your case.
Remember as said above, if you have been paying council tax for more than 6 months, the VOA has no legal obligation to review it.
WARNING: challenging your band might not work.
While you could get moved to a lower band and pay less, there’s also the chance the VOA could find you’re not paying enough.
This could mean you’re moved to a higher band – and your neighbours’ too.
If you disagree with the VOA’s ruling, you can appeal your case – but only if you’ve been told that you can when you get the decision.
You must appeal within three months of your decision – to do this, get in touch with the Valuation Tribunal Service.
If the Valuation Tribunal agrees with you, it will get the VOA to change your band – and your bill will change.
How to save money on Council Tax
ONE of the biggest household bills you need to pay is Council Tax.
How much you pay will depend on the value of your home, but Senior Consumer Reporter Olivia Marshall explains how you can save.
Check for discounts
Not everyone pays council tax. If you have someone who’s living with you and they don’t count, you could get 25% off your bill.
This includes full-time students, people on certain apprentice schemes, a live-in carer looking after someone else and student nurses.
If you live on your own you can claim a discount of 25%.
You’ll have to apply for the discount on your local authority’s website and can check eligibility at gov.uk/apply-council-tax-reduction
Help for disabled people
People with certain disabilities can get a discount of up to 100%. This applies to anyone considered severely mentally impaired (SMI) which includes conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s or learning difficulties resulting from a stroke.
If you’re living with someone affected by SMI then you could qualify for a discount too,
To be considered, a GP needs to certify the SMI and typically they will need to be receiving at least one type of benefit such as attendance allowance or personal independence payments.
Again, you can check your eligibility or a family member’s and apply on your local council’s website.
If you’re on a low income
If you’re on a low income or benefits, you might be able to claim a council tax reduction of up to 100%. This means you pay no council tax at all.
You can apply if you own your home or rent, and if you are unemployed or working.
But the rules vary between councils so you will need to contact yours to find out what you can get.
Claim a refund
Hundreds of thousands of households should check to see if they can get a council tax refund after making an overpayment.
Anyone who has moved out of one area to another is likely to be entitled to a refund if they paid their council tax bill upfront.
If you failed to close your council tax account and did not pay by direct debit, the local authority is not able to refund you any cash owed.
Check with your local council to see if you are due cash back and how to reclaim it.
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