Council Tax appeals

Appealing against your band

Valuation bands are based on how much a property was worth on 1 April 1991. You might be able to challenge your Council Tax band if you think it’s wrong.

You can ask the VOA to review your Council Tax band if you think it is wrong and you have been the taxpayer for less than six months, or your band has changed in the last six months.

If this does not apply you can still ask the VOA to review your Council Tax band, but you’ll need to provide strong supporting evidence showing why you believe your property is in the wrong band.

You need to continue paying your Council Tax while the challenge is happening.

If you think your Council Tax band is wrong or would like to check it, you can do so via the Valuation Office Agency. This service is free of charge.

You can contact the Valuation Office Agency using their online form.

Liability appeals

You may appeal if you think that you are not liable to pay the Council Tax, because someone else should be liable or the property should be exempt. You may also appeal if you think your bill has been wrongly calculated. For example, if you have not been granted a discount you thought you were entitled to.

Any appeal should be made in writing to the Council Tax Appeals section, giving the reasons for your appeal.

If you do not receive an answer to your appeal within two months, or you are unhappy with the response, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal Service.

Valuation Tribunal Service contact details are:

Tel: 0303 445 8100

Email: appeals@valuationtribunal.gov.uk

Web: www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk

Valuation Tribunal, 2nd Floor, 120 Leman Street, London, E1 8EU.

You can appeal against a penalty without first having to contact the Council.

Appealing your Council Tax Support

If you think the amount of your Council Tax Support is wrong, you can:

ask us to explain it
ask us to look at it again
appeal against it

For more information about how to do this, see our guide to reviews and appeals.

You can also find an accessible version of our reviews and appeals document here.

Bogus Council Tax refund scams

We are aware of several scams operating around the country. These scams advise residents that they may be due a Council Tax refund or that their property has been incorrectly banded.

Someone may telephone you, email you or appear at your door, claiming to be able to reduce your Council Tax bill for a fee.

Examples of the tactics used by bogus agents include:

charging an up-front fee with an added 20% of the reduction should they successfully reduce your Council Tax band
insisting you are in the wrong band and are owed back payments, when in fact your band is correct
saying they are from the local Council or VOA and asking for your bank details so they can provide a refund - fraudsters will then steal your money from that account
claiming that the VOA charges you to challenge your band; this is not correct – you can do this for free
claiming that you, by law, must be represented by an agent to challenge your band; this is incorrect – anyone can do this
stating that they are on an approved list of agents recognised by the VOA, when in fact the VOA does not keep such a list

From time to time Council Officers will phone citizens in respect of Council Tax or benefits. If you have any doubt as to the authenticity of the call you should take the caller’s name and extension number and contact us directly.

Council Tax and Benefit Service 0345 8 504 504.

There are some occasions when Council officers may make visits to properties.

However, these are usually confirmed by an appointment. If you are visited by a Council officer please request photo identification and if you are at all in doubt, contact us on 0345 8 504 504 for verification.

We urge citizens to be vigilant, if you receive a phone call and you suspect the person you are talking to is not genuine:

do not give out any personal details
end the call
phone us for verification

Signs to look out for:

if action has to be taken immediately
you are asked to provide your bank account details
you are asked to make a purchase to win a prize
you need to contact a premium rate number
you receive an unsolicited call
the business contacting you is reluctant to give their address or contact details