I’ve saved thousands by challenging essential bill that everyone has to pay – I noticed that all my neighbours paid less
A SAVVY homeowner has revealed how she slashed an essential household bill after spotting that her neighbours were paying less.
Martina Brannigan, 26, couldn’t believe how “quick and easy” it was to challenge her Council Tax band.
She’s one of thousands of people who have managed to cut the cost of the essential bill.
In fact, over 16,000 properties received a reduced Council Tax band following a review or formal challenge between April 2022 and April 22, a Sun Freedom of Information request to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) found.
The most common Council Tax band change was from Band E to Band D, the FOI revealed.
Your home’s Council Tax band is based on its rateable value – the more expensive the property, the higher the council tax band.
After buying her £265,000 first home in September 2020, Martina received a letter from her local authority – Newcastle City Council – with details on how to pay her Council Tax bill.
But the accountant was shocked to find that her four-bedroom home was considered to be in Band E.
Martina told The Sun: “I checked on the government website and every single other house in my street was Band D.
“I live in a terraced house so I thought it was pretty odd that mine was E and no one else’s was.
“There was no obvious reason why my house was in a higher band, so I decided to challenge it and I found an online form on the government’s website.
“I had to share personal details like my name and address, as well as a reason for why I thought my Council Tax was wrong, which was that all my neighbours were all in a lower band.
“All in all, it took me just 15 minutes to fill it in.”
A few days later, Martina received a letter telling her that the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) were sending a valuer to reassess her house.
She said: “I didn’t need to be in for this, they just valued it for the outside so there was no added stress.”
A few weeks later, Martina received a letter letting her know that her property had been lowered to a Band D.
This took Council Tax bill down from £197 a month to £162 a month.
She was also told she would get a refund on the three months she had overpaid on her Council Tax.
Instead of taking this as a lump sum payment, she decided to have this taken off her future payments, reducing them to £137 a month for the remaining tax year.
Martina said it was a “huge relief” when her Council Tax bill was reduced.
“I’d just moved into my own home and was adapting to juggling lots of different bills, so having one lower payment was so helpful,” she added.
“Council Tax has also gone up since my appeal, so I think I’ve saved myself thousands by deciding to challenge my band.”
In Newcastle, the average Band D property can expect to pay £2,292.04 a year in Council Tax.
This is compared with £2,801.39 for a property in Band E.
That means that this year alone, Martina has saved £509.35.
In the four years since her successful appeal, Martina has saved around £2,000.
The average council tax bill rose by £2,171 this year as local authorities in England and Wales aim to fund services.
For the average Band D property it increased by 5% or £106, according to statistics released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Of course, it’s worth noting that exactly how much more you’ll pay is directly related to which band you’re on.
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 per cent 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 per cent.
You’ll have to apply for the discount on your local authority’s website and can check eligibility at gv.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.
How to challenge your Council Tax band
If, like Martina, you think your home is in the wrong council Tax band, then you’ll need to place a formal challenge.
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.
If the VOA agrees 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.
But be warned – 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.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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