Council Tax Banding Appeals
If you believe that the banding of your property for Council Tax is wrong, you should first contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) before contacting the Valuation Tribunal. The VOA determines the level of value that bills are based on; and so, they should be given a chance to look at the issue before raising it with us. You can find out how to contact the VOA through their main webpage:
Valuation Office Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The VOA has a duty to ensure that the correct band is applied to your property. If they are persuaded by what you say, they will alter the value - no matter when you contact them or how long you have lived in or owned the property. However, if they do not accept what you say and you wish to pursue matters further, there are time restrictions applied to when you can make a formal written "proposal to alter the valuation list". You can do so within six months of becoming the Council Taxpayer for the property or within six months of the VOA changing the value of the property (if you do not agree with that change).
If a valid formal proposal has been made, the VOA has 4 months within which to attempt to resolve the matter before they are obliged to issue a formal decision letter or inform you that they are unable to issue a decision within this timeframe. If you receive a decision letter from the VOA or they have failed to issue a decision within 4 months, you have a further 4 months to appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal. You can use our electronic portal to appeal against your Council Tax band or use our appeal form; links to our portal and the appeal form can be found below.
We will acknowledge receipt of your appeal, and the acknowledgement will refer you to guidance on this website telling you how we will progress matters.
We normally list appeals within six months of receipt although it may still be possible to resolve your appeal with the VOA. We aim to provide you with 10 weeks’ notice of any hearing.
Check out our Guidance and FAQ pages for more useful information.
