Articles > How To Pay Less Council Tax

Ever suspect you are paying too much council tax? Now there is a way to find out.

The banding of homes is not a fine science and you could be paying higher rates than your neighbours. 

Have a look at the government’s Council Tax Valuation site at www.voa.gov.uk/council_tax/cti_home.htm. Fill in the post code when prompted. You are then promted to type in your whole address. Just enter the street name, omitting the house number, and click search. The result will show your and neighbouring proeprties. You may be in for a bit of luck.

If you are banded higher than your neighbours in similar properties, you may be able to challenge your banding. If you are successful, your property may be rebanded and you could even be in for a refund for past overpayments. 

To  challenge the banding, you need to contact your local listing officer at www.voa.gov.uk/council_tax/the_role_of_listing_officers.htm.

Note: Make sure you do your research thoroughly before calling the listing officer. If you happen to be on a lower banding than neighbouring properties, this could backfire and you could end up paying more. Furthermore, if you are on a higher banding than your neighbours, the listing oficer could make the decision to leave your banding as it is, and raise everyone else's in the street. If you found this article interesting or useful please share it with others!