Martin Lewis: How to check & challenge your Council Tax band
How 400,000 may be able to lower their bands and gain £1,000s
Hundreds of thousands of homes across England and Scotland are thought to be in the wrong Council Tax band. This means it's important to check your property's in the right band – something our tried-and-tested system can help you do. Some homeowners and renters have unknowingly been overpaying Council Tax for many years, even decades, because their bands are too high, so payouts worth £1,000s are commonplace.
Further Council Tax help...
Council Tax discounts. Are you due money off?
Reclaim overpaid Council Tax. 100,000s are in credit.
'Severe mental impairment' Council Tax discount. How it works and who can claim.
What are Council Tax bands?
Each residential property in England, Scotland and Wales is assigned what's called a Council Tax 'band'. There are eight possible bands a property can be in, starting from A all the way up to H, and these bands determine how much Council Tax you pay each month.
The cheapest Council Tax band is A with each band getting progressively more expensive – band H being the most expensive. However, exactly how much Council Tax you pay will depend on where you live as local authorities decide the level of Council Tax charged on the various bands.
To check which Council Tax band your property is in see Gov.uk (England and Wales) or the Scottish Assessors Association. You'll just need to punch in your address or postcode.
Important. Even if your property's in the correct Council Tax band you still might be overpaying if you're due a council tax discount or reduction.
Why many Council Tax bands are wrong
Many homes are in the wrong Council Tax bands, and have been since 1991. The story:
Once upon a time, way back in 1991, in time for the launch of its new Council Tax system, the Government needed every property in the land to be put in a valuation band. But time was short, and the job large, so the people in charge asked estate agents and others to help.
Yet even with all the estate agents' help, they didn't have time to get the detailed information together, so they set about doing it quickly by pairing up and driving down countless streets, allocating each property a band with just a glance. They became known as "second-gear valuations" as they mostly never even stopped their cars, never mind got out of them.
Many years passed, and still nobody came to rescue the poor valuations in England and Scotland, though the Welsh Government reassessed all homes there in 2005. So the flawed old valuation still dictates much of England and Scotland's banding, which is why you could be paying more than your neighbour even though you live in exactly the SAME size property.
Martin has been campaigning about this since 2007
When MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis first launched his Council Tax band check-and-challenge system back in 2007 it hit the headlines in a big way, making the front page of scores of newspapers on the same day he presented a prime-time ITV show on how to do it.
Over the years, we've heard from many people who've successfully lowered their Council Tax band thanks to the help of Martin's system. If you've also used the information in this guide to do just that then please let us know.
Watch Martin's six-minute Council Tax bands briefing
This clip has been taken from The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on Tuesday 16 January 2024, with the permission of ITV Studios. All rights reserved. Watch the full episode on the ITVX Hub.
Have a watch of Martin's original Council Tax bands video briefing (the visuals look a bit grainy – it was filmed back in 2008 – but the information in it still stands):
Watch Martin's original Council Tax bands briefing
Should you challenge your Council Tax band?
To get an idea of whether you're in too high a band, there are TWO important checks to make.
Ensure you do both, as you can't ask for your band to be lowered, only revalued, and you don't want yours or your neighbours' to go up. These checks should prevent that.
A reminder before you start that this is primarily for those in England and Scotland. Those in Wales can still challenge their band, but it's far less likely to be wrong owing to the 2005 revaluation carried out there.
Check 1: The neighbours check
This is the starting point and by far the most important check: you need to find out if your band's higher than neighbours in similar, or identical, properties.
Don't worry, you won't need to ask them what their band is, you can check via official websites...
In England, use Gov.uk | In Scotland, use the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) |
So first check your band and compare it with your neighbours', making sure the properties are as close as possible in size and value. The scale of the database means a few properties are missed off it. If that happens, either speak to your neighbours directly or contact the council and ask why.
If neighbours in similar properties are in a lower band than you, then you may have a claim (though it could mean that they're all in the wrong band). This happened to a street in Hull, when one unidentified resident appealed as she was in band B, and all her neighbours in similar properties were in band A. But instead of her getting a Council Tax cut, all her neighbours are now facing larger bills as they were all upbanded.
This is why it's also vital to do the valuation check...
Check 2: The valuation check
If you pass the first check, then you need to calculate whether you should be in a lower band. As bands are valued still on 1991 prices, you need to estimate what your home was worth in 1991.
This CAN'T be used as evidence if you challenge your band. But it enables you to check out various property prices on your street and is an important test that you're on the right track. To make the valuation, follow the steps below:
1. Value your property
If you bought your house after 1991, you can simply use its price and date of sale to do this. If you rent or bought earlier, you'll need to find an estimated price.It's also worth doing this with similar neighbouring properties to check there are no anomalies.
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Go to free house price websites. Such as Zoopla, Rightmove and Nethouseprices. Enter your street name and it'll tell you the prices of all properties sold there since 2000. For more on valuation tools, read the full Free house price valuations guide.
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Note the price and sale date. And then find the most recent sale price of a similar property to yours in your street, noting both the price and the date of sale.
2. Find out what your property was worth in 1991 (using our free calculator)
Once you have your home's most recent sale price and the date the sale took place – or alternatively an estimate of your property's current value – you can use this information to estimate what your property would've been worth back in 1991.
To help you do this, we've built a free calculator which'll do the calculations for you. The calculator works using historic house price data sourced from Nationwide.
There are just four bits of information to fill in to get your home's 1991 value. But do note if you're using your home's current estimated value rather than its most recent sale price you'll need to select the previous quarter rather than the current one in the 'which quarter' field.
3. Check Council Tax bands for the property's 1991 price
Now you've worked out roughly what your property was worth in 1991, you can compare this to the table below to see what band you should have been put in, based on the 1991 value.
BAND | ENGLAND 1991 PROPERTY VALUE | SCOTLAND 1991 PROPERTY VALUE |
|---|---|---|
A | All properties under £40,000 | All 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 |
H | Over £320,000 | Over £212,000 |
Only challenge if you pass BOTH checks above
Even if you pass the neighbours check, you might be in a higher band because your neighbours' bands are too low (rather than yours being too high) – and your challenge could see their bands rise (which won't make you popular).
That's why the valuation check is important. While it can't be used as evidence when you challenge, it gives you peace of mind of what the situation is.
How to challenge your Council Tax band
If you've completed the checks above and think it likely your property is banded incorrectly, then the steps below explain how to challenge your band effectively.
Remember though, the Check & Challenge isn't a guaranteed system. Even if the checks above indicate you're in the wrong band, they don't mean your band definitely will be changed.
Step 1: Work out if you can challenge formally or informally
In England and Wales you can challenge your band formally or informally (though this is less relevant in Wales because 2005's revaluation means errors are less likely).
Challenging formally is better as it's a set process, but is available to fewer people.
- Who can formally challenge? In general you must've lived in the property for six months or less (it doesn't matter whether you own or rent, though if renting you should notify the landlord as a courtesy).
There are exceptions after the first six months if the property has fundamentally changed (from a house into flats, for example), the immediate area has fundamentally changed (a nightclub being built next door, for example), or your property's use has been changed (part of it is now used for business, for example).
If you're able to challenge formally (also known as a 'proposal'), the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) must review your band. Although you don't have to officially provide evidence about nearby properties, we'd strongly suggest you don't skip that part.
- Can't formally challenge? Do it informally. Over the years we've heard feedback from people who've been told they can't challenge as they've lived in their property too long – yet the VOA has a statutory duty to uphold the integrity of Council Tax bands list.
This means you can still submit a request for an 'informal review' of your Council Tax band (use our template wording can help), though the burden is on you to provide compelling evidence that your band is wrong, to persuade the VOA to do the review (the following steps show what evidence to prepare).
Quick question:
Yes, technically you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal if the VOA says you can't formally challenge your band. This is known as an invalidity appeal. In the first instance though, you should contact the VOA to ask why it doesn't think you have rights to make a formal proposal.
As the Valuation Tribunal uses the same criteria as the VOA, it's quite possible your appeal will be rejected. If it is, your only option will be to go down the route of an informal band review via the VOA.
Can I appeal if the VOA says I can't formally challenge?
Similarly to England, you can normally only formally challenge your band if you've lived in your property for six months or less, though there are some scenarios where you can challenge even if you've lived there longer.
The list of reasons for formally challenging includes:
You became the owner or tenant of the property within the last six months.
Your property has received a Council Tax banding within the last six months.
If an appeal decision of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland relating to a property similar to yours gives you reasonable grounds to believe your own property banding should also be changed.
If you believe there has been a 'material reduction' in the value of your property.
If the Scottish Assessors Association decides you can't challenge – for whatever reason – you can normally appeal (if you're convinced you've got a case). Full details of who exactly can challenge their Council Tax band can be found on the Scottish Assessors' Portal.
Unlike in England, 'informal reviews' don't exist in Scotland
The system in Scotland is based on Scottish law, which means there are subtle differences to the system in England.
In reality, in Scotland there isn't an informal route to challenge your band if you can't challenge formally. That means you should always go through the formal system of challenging, known as making a proposal.
If you've lived in your property for more than six months, and if nothing substantial has changed to your property to give you formal proposal rights, but you're convinced your band is incorrect, it's not going to be easy to get your band changed. But if you can persuade an assessor, via the formal route, that the band is wrong, it might be possible for them to lower your band. You'll need very strong evidence.
As we say, it won't be easy, so it's best to manage your expectations.
Step 2: Check your property's 'attributes'
The VOA holds a detailed description of most residential properties in England and Wales, known as your 'property attribute details' (PAD). Your PAD normally include: property type (such as flat, terrace, semi-detached, detached, bungalow etc); age or period when built; floor area; number of rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and floors.
In England and Wales, ensuring your PAD are correct is a sensible step to take before you challenge your Council Tax band. This is because it can:
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Highlight incorrect information the VOA holds about your property (which can, if there's a significant error, lead to your property being rebanded).
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Help identify neighbouring properties that are similar to yours.
Requesting your PAD from the VOA is free to do (you'll need to verify you're the Council Tax-payer and you can only get the PAD for your own home). You can submit your request in two ways:
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Online via the VOA's check and challenge your Council Tax band. Find the property you want to challenge using the postcode search, and select 'I think my band is wrong'. In the text box on the next page, add 'I want to request my property attribute details'. The online form will ask you a few questions to ensure you're entitled to the the PAD as the Council Tax-payer, and you'll need to provide your contact details. You should get a written response within five working days, though this can be up to a month during busy periods.
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By calling the VOA on 03000 501 501. It'll run through some questions to verify you. The VOA can usually share your PAD during the call or email it to you.
Here's what an emailed version of your PAD typically looks like:
Once you've got your PAD check the following is correct:
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Property type – for example, make sure an end-of-terrace house isn't listed as a semi-detached.
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Age of property – this should accurately reflect when the property was built, for example, 'pre-1900' for a Victorian property, '1945-54' for post-war.
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Floor area – this is the size of property in metres squared (for guidance on how property sizes are measured for Council Tax purposes, see Gov.uk).
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Number of rooms – this includes living rooms, dining rooms and studies, but excludes conservatories, kitchens and utility rooms.
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Number of bedrooms – including bedrooms not currently being used as bedrooms. So this could include box rooms and studies (if not already counted as part of rooms).
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Number of bathrooms – only list a bathroom if it has at least three fittings (for example, toilet, basin and shower). This wouldn't include a toilet with just a sink.
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Number of floors – for example, a house with a ground floor and first floor is a two-storey property.
Alternatively, you can provide a description of your property when you challenge
The VOA has told us an alternative to requesting your PAD is to provide a description of your property while submitting your Council Tax challenge, using the above list as a guide. The VOA can check this matches the details it holds in the PAD.
While this IS less time-consuming than asking for your PAD separately, accessing your PAD can really help with identifying neighbouring properties to support your Council Tax challenge.
Quick question:
A property's 'attribute details' usually relate to the state of your property either at the list compilation date (1 April 1993 in England or 1 April 2005 in Wales) or when it was entered into the Council Tax list (for example, when your home was built, when the property was last sold or the entry was last altered), whichever is more recent.
The VOA gets additional data about your home through a range of sources, but PAD are usually only updated due to a change of use of the property, a split or merger, or when a sale has taken place (so extensions, for example, will only typically be reflected on PAD once a sale has taken place).
Where does the VOA source its information about my property from?
There is no PAD equivalent available to you if you live in Scotland. But you should include a description of your property (number of rooms, bathrooms, floor space etc) when you submit your Council Tax band challenge.
The VOA categorised our house as having a loft extension, where in reality there is only a single velux window installed to allow daylight into the loft area.
The measurements the builders had submitted to the VOA were incorrect. When I measured our house and send over the correct measurements, it transpired the builders had given the measurements for a four-bed house and not a three-bed.
I believe what really clinched it was when I requested the property attribute details from the VOA to see what information they held on my house. They had it listed as a 'semi-detached', where in reality it was an 'end of terrace'. It also showed the square meterage to be 117, but a survey we had carried out six years previously stated 113 square metres.
Step 3: Identify neighbouring or nearby properties that are similar to yours... but in a LOWER Council Tax band
This is the most important step. You need to identify neighbouring or nearby properties that are identical or similar to yours, but in a lower Council Tax band. (You can check any property's band on Gov.uk.)
If you're asking for an informal review of your Council Tax band, you must do this. If you're formally challenging your band, you don't have to do this – but any evidence that supports your challenge could be a game-changer.
The properties you identify should be as similar as possible to your own property. You can choose up to five addresses to provide as evidence, which compared to your home should:
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Be in the same street or estate. Though in the countryside the VOA will consider similar properties within a wider area, usually within 10 miles (and this distance might be greater in rural areas or where your property is considered unusual).
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Have the same style or similar features. For example, a semi-detached house must be compared with a semi-detached, flats with flats etc.
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Be of a similar age. You can't compare a new-build property with one built before 1900, for example.
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Be of a similar size. Comparable properties can be smaller or larger, usually within around 10% of your own. For example, if your property is 100 square metres, comparable properties should be anywhere between 90 and 110 square metres in size.
While you might be able to get a rough idea whether a neighbouring property is similar to yours simply by looking at it from outside, this might not be enough to conclude it's genuinely comparable to your own...
If you need more information about a property and don't mind doing a bit of detective work, you can also get an idea about what a property's like in other ways, for example, by speaking to the occupier, checking past sales listings on Rightmove or Zoopla, or looking at info held by the Land Registry or Registers of Scotland.
Your local council's register of planning and development decisions might throw up some useful information – for example, if an extension's been added to a property.
For more advice about which neighbouring properties to submit as evidence, see Gov.uk.
I researched similar properties to ours in the village – even going so far as to count bricks to be able to compare their size to ours! I sent photos of similar properties on a lower band.
During lockdown I wrote a letter detailing the other properties on the road and the differences in terms of footprint and extensions built since the relevant date.
Step 4: Submit your challenge
In England, challenging your Council Tax band formally or requesting a review can both be done online – in fact they follow the same path on Gov.uk.
The most important field to fill in is that which asks for evidence supporting your case. This is where you should include the addresses of neighbouring properties in lower Council Tax bands to yours, a description of your own property and any other supporting evidence you've got.
Below are some sample sentences that you can use to help you submit a strong case. You'll need to choose the parts that are relevant to you, and adapt to include your own details and that of the neighbouring properties that you want to include as evidence:
Intro
I'm entitled to formally challenge my Council Tax band because I moved into my property on [XX date], which is within the past six months. I think my current Council Tax band [which is X] is too high.
OR
I am requesting a informal review of my Council Tax band. While I have lived in my property for more than six months, I think my current Council Tax band [which is X] is too high, and I have evidence of similar neighbouring properties that are in a lower band.
Main body – add your own details and evidence using this style as a guide
My address is 25 Jackson Street, Smalltown. My property is in an 1880s Victorian maisonette which is set on one floor, with one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom, floor space is 700 square feet (65 square metres). Council Tax band D.
There is a similar one-bed late-19th century Victorian maisonette at 58 Jackson Street in Council Tax band C. It is also on one floor, with one bedroom, one living room and two bathrooms. The floor space is 740 square feet (68 square metres).
And at 100 Jackson Street, there is a 1870s Victorian maisonette, set over one floor, with one bedroom, two small living rooms, one bathroom and floor space equal to 720 square feet (66 square metres). This is also in band C.
At the top of the road, 125 Jackson Street, there is another Victorian maisonette, set over one floor, with one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom, with floor space exactly equal to mine (700 square feet, or 65 square metres). Again, Council Tax band C.
I've attached images of the neighbouring properties.
Alternatively, you can challenge/review by getting in touch with the VOA in the following ways:
Calling: 03000 501 501
Email: ctinbox@voa.gov.uk
Writing: Valuation Office Agency, Customer Service Centre, Wycliffe House, Green Lane, Durham, DH1 3UW.
Regardless of which route you choose you need to include evidence to back up your case.
Quick question:
You can't use average property price data from online calculators like Rightmove, Zoopla, Nationwide House Price Index and Nethouseprices as evidence when submitting a Council Tax band challenge or review.
See Gov.uk for more information as to why this is the case.
Can I use property price calculators as evidence?
In Scotland, the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) deals with Council Tax band challenges, known as 'proposals'. As we mentioned above, in Scotland there isn't an informal route to challenge your band if you can't challenge formally. That means you should always go through the formal system of challenging, known as making a proposal.
If you're convinced your band is incorrect and have strong evidence, you'll need to go to the SAA homepage, enter your postcode in the Council Tax bands search box, then select your property from the list. Click "Make a proposal". You'll need to fill in an online form, which includes a field called 'reasons for making this proposal' – here you should include a description of your property and the addresses/descriptions of neighbouring properties you're using as evidence. The online form will then be sent to your local assessor, who will contact you.
Alternatively, you can ask for a proposal form from your local assessor which can be completed and posted.
Made your challenge? What's next...
In England, after submitting your challenge you'll get a confirmation of receipt from the VOA – this can take up to 28 days to arrive.
Then it'll take up to six months to get a decision if you've formally challenged your band and up to 12 months if you've requested an informal review, so prepare to be patient.
Once the VOA has made up its mind there are two possible outcomes:
A: Your challenge / review gets rejected
Brace yourself for your challenge or review potentially being rejected – though don't necessarily give up here.
In England, if you formally challenge your banding and you're rejected, and you think the VOA is wrong, you've got three months to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
In Wales, if you formally challenge your band and you're rejected, the VOA's decision is reviewed by the Valuation Tribunal for Wales – this is done automatically so you don't need to take any action to kick-start the process. It may result in the VOA's decision being overturned and your band being lowered.
Again, technically these options are only available if you've lived in the property for six months or less, or any of the other qualifying circumstances apply to you.
Where you submitted a request for an informal review but the VOA has decided there isn't enough evidence to review your case, or it has done so and decided not to change your band, you won't be able to appeal. However, if you find new evidence that hasn't already been reviewed, you can start the process again and submit a brand new request for review.
Quick questions:
We often get emails from people saying: "I went through all the steps, they investigated and turned me down – what now?" For many, if you've exhausted all your evidence, it's probably time to give up.
In England, if you've a compelling reason to take your case further – or new or recently discovered evidence to back it up – it could be worth appealing to the Valuation Tribunal (if you've lived in your property fewer than six months) or asking the Valuation Office Agency to conduct a new review (if you've lived in your property more than six months).
See Gov.uk for further details if you're appealing to the Valuation Tribunal. If the Valuation Tribunal decides against you, it's almost certainly time to give up. You do have a final right of appeal through the High Court if you really want it (though you'd need to prove the Valuation Tribunal made an error in law, not just that you disagree with what it said).
In Wales, if you formally challenge your band and you're rejected, the VOA's decision is reviewed by the Valuation Tribunal for Wales – this is done automatically. It may result in the VOA's decision being overturned and your band being lowered, but if it doesn't it's almost certainly time to give up.
If you don't get anywhere with the VOA, you might be able to take the matter elsewhere by complaining to the Adjudicator's Office. This could be about your review not being taken further by the VOA, or perhaps about the level of service you received, but you'll only be able to go to the Adjudicator's Office after first complaining to the VOA formally and exhausting its own complaints process.
Is it worth appealing or submitting a new review?
Can I complain about the VOA's decision?
In most cases, you can appeal if you're unsuccessful in getting your band lowered. This includes if your band wasn't lowered for the following reasons:
- The assessor didn't agree your proposal was well-founded.
- Your proposal was considered invalid.
You've usually six months to appeal to the Local Taxation Chamber, though it can be quicker depending on the reason. Information about how to appeal can be found on the Scottish Assessors Portal (scroll to the bottom of the linked page).
If your appeal is rejected, it's probably time to give up. But if you discover new and compelling evidence, it might be worth submitting a new challenge.
B: You succeed!
Expect to have your band lowered and make sure you get a backdated rebate from when you moved into the property (or 1993, whichever is later). You may also want to consider contacting previous occupants, as they should be entitled to a payout too.
Don't be fobbed off if your council refuses to issue a backdated rebate or attempts to cap how far back it'll refund you. We've had it confirmed by the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation that councils have a 'statutory duty to charge in accordance with the valuation list'.
This means they must refund you for the whole time you've been overpaying (though the refund can't go further back than 1993).
Please report your Council Tax rebanding successes by emailing us or writing on the MSE Forum.
How much can you expect to get if you successfully challenge your band?
Succeed in getting your band lowered and typically you can expect to pay between £100 and £400 less in Council Tax each year.
You should also expect a refund covering all the years you've been overpaying, backdated to when you moved into the property – as far back as when the tax started in 1993. Backdated payouts can be worth £1,000s.
Here are some MoneySavers' success stories:
Our thanks go to your team for giving my husband the confidence to get in touch with our council. We have lived in our house for over 30 years and always felt our Council Tax was too high. We live in the smallest house in our close, but were paying the same as the rest. After months of communication, we are delighted to report we have had a refund of over £8,000 – plus a reduction of £50 a month going forward. This is going to help us tremendously.
Thanks for your advice on Council Tax banding. I recently challenged my own banding using the information on your website and am pleased to say I have been rebanded from E to D. I've received a rebate dating back to 1993 for £7,943, plus a reduction of £470 for this year and those going forward.
Do payouts mean that everyone else in the area will pay more?
Generally speaking, central government has the ability to make up the cost of substantial rebanding. When it comes to how much funding a council gets from central government, while it's not directly impacted by the number of properties that council has rebanded in any given year, the amount of funding does correlate to the council's ability to raise cash – and obviously it can't raise as much if more properties are in lower Council Tax bands.
Let's put it in perspective. The whole point of this is to get your money back for Council Tax you've been overpaying for years. The more people who get revalued, the more pressure there will be on the Government to do a nationwide revaluation and ensure everyone is paying a fair amount.
Council Tax rebanding FAQs
Here are a few commonly asked questions. If yours isn't answered below, take a look at the forum discussion.
This doesn't happen often, but it can. The Daily Mail reported on one such case in 2015 when it happened to a street in Hull – presumably because the challenger didn't carry out the requisite checks that we've explained above.
One neighbour was in band B, with all other similar houses in the street in band A. The person in band B challenged the banding, and instead of her Council Tax being lowered, all her neighbours' Council Tax bands were raised, putting them all in band B.
That's why it's vitally important to carry out both the neighbours' check and the historic valuation check before deciding whether to challenge. If neighbours in similar properties are in a lower band than you, that might mean you're in too high a band – but then again, it may just mean, as it did in this case, that your neighbours are simply in too low a band (hence why both checks are equally as important).
If your band is increased because of a neighbour unsuccessfully challenging their own band, and you believe this decision is wrong, you need to start your own challenge under the normal system. However, since the neighbours check won't work if you've all been revalued, you'll need to rely on the valuation.
Again, you can't just use the calculator above to estimate your home's 1991 value and present that as evidence. But if you can get evidence of sale prices of your home (or similar homes in your street) from 1991, this would be strong evidence with which to make your case.
If you think you have a case, follow the steps to challenge your banding. You'll likely need to be prepared to take it to the Valuation Tribunal, as the Valuation Office Agency has already decided that your property should be upbanded.
Northern Ireland uses a completely different system to Council Tax, so this is irrelevant. Wales does have a Council Tax system, but a nationwide revaluation was done there in 2005, so errors are less likely and less long-standing (though you can still challenge if you think it's wrong). So this guide is focused on England and Scotland.
Some firms may claim this, yet they have no more influence or power than you do – so consider whether you could just cut out the middle man and do it yourself.
For most literate and numerate people with access to the internet, Council Tax reclaiming is a straightforward process. While it takes a bit of time and effort, all the resources above should give you most of what you need to do it yourself.
If you need help though, the options are a lawyer or 'claims handler' as they're commonly advertised. But they are expensive and at best will take around a third of the money that you're owed. In general, there's simply no need to use a company. This site's stance is that it's easy and more lucrative to use the info above to do it yourself.
Yet there are times it may be suitable, such as for those with genuine financial phobia, lack of web literacy, or mental health issues. If that's the case, it's important to check out who you would use. If you are going to use a lawyer or claims handler, ensure you…
Never pay anything up front!
There are some companies that will offer to carry out your claim for an upfront fee, but if the company is not open and upfront about its fees, which as a rule of thumb shouldn't be much more than 25% of what you win, then don't go there. Also feel free to ask for references from other satisfied customers, which it should be happy to do if kosher.
All claims firms must be regulated for claims management activities and will have a reference to check (such as CRM1234) on the Ministry of Justice database. Avoid anyone not on this list.
Council Tax pays for services such as policing, education and waste management. It replaced the notorious Poll Tax in 1993, although Northern Ireland still uses the even older rates system. Whether Council Tax is more reasonable is a topic of debate.
Be it a house, flat, mobile home or houseboat, Council Tax is applicable to all personal dwellings. But don't assume all households pay the same amount.
You pay Council Tax if you live somewhere, regardless of whether you are the tenant or owner. Which means if you rent, it's certainly worth going through the system to see. Before you challenge your band, courtesy dictates you should discuss it with your landlord first.
To rush through the valuation in 1991, it was often outsourced to relevant bodies such as estate agents. They were simply given a list of the size of properties and asked to assess them from the outside. Within the industry they became known as 'second-gear valuations', as – quite literally – agents stayed in their cars and drove past in second gear, allocating bands.
One estate agent confessed to us: "We were on deadline, we had to do 400 homes a day, working off a list. I was in a rural area, so often we couldn't even see the properties and just had to do a best guess. The system would've worked if the rebanding was done every five years."
Yet it wasn't. Bands haven't been revalued since, so it's no surprise so many are wrong.
There is no obligation on you to do anything or tell anyone. Latest statistics show that while 10,120 properties were moved into a lower band, only 30 were put into a higher band – suggesting that most people don't say anything if they think they're in too low a band.
Whether you want to declare it and ask for an upbanding is a matter for you and your ethics. And even if you do, there are no guarantees it will go up.
To check which Council Tax band your property is in see Gov.uk (England and Wales) or the Scottish Assessors Association. You'll just need to punch in your address or postcode.
I've been rebanded because my neighbour challenged their band. Can I appeal?
Why doesn't this apply to Northern Ireland (and Wales to a lesser extent)?
A company has said it can get my Council Tax back for a fee. Is this true?
What does Council Tax get spent on?
What type of properties have to pay Council Tax?
Can I do it if I rent / am a tenant?
Are 'second-gear valuations' for real?
What should I do if I think I'm in too low a band?
How do I check my Council Tax band?
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