«Breaking News» Martin Lewis reveals that speaking to neighbours about their council tax could save you money

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis revealed thousands of Brits could be paying too much in council tax. 

Speaking on This Morning today, Lewis explained an estimated 400,000 households in England and Scotland are in the wrong council tax band.   

The personal finance expert outlined two free and straightforward ways anyone can check and challenge their council tax banding. 

Not only could they stand to pay less going forward, but they could also receive a backdated rebate stretching to 1993.   

Speaking on This Morning today, pictured, Martin Lewis explained an estimated 400,000 households in England and Scotland are in the wrong council tax band 

The segment proved so popular that part of the site temporarily crashed in the minutes after it aired, presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield revealed. 

Viewers also shared their appreciation on Twitter, with one writing: 'This is perfect for us working class people!' 

The Money Saving Expert was speaking ahead of a predicted rise in council tax across the UK. It is likely to rise by 4 per cent in England and up to 10 per cent in Scotland and Wales. 

To check whether you are currently being overcharged, Lewis first suggested checking how much neighbours living in similar or identical properties pay. 

The segment proved so popular that part of the site temporarily crashed in the minutes after it aired, presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, pictured, revealed 

Check 1: The neighbours check 

Writing on his website Money Saving Expert, Lewis explains: 

By far the most important step is to find out if your band's higher than neighbours in similar or identical properties. You could simply ask them, but there's no need as it's public info. The band of every house in England & Scotland is available via the Valuation Office Agency websites. 

1. Check your band, and then your neighbours'. Make sure the properties are as close as possible in size and value. Sadly, the sheer 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.


2. If neighbours in similar properties are in a lower band than you, then you may have a claim (though it may just 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 houses 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 vital to also do the Valuation Check below.

This can be done by checking the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) page of the Government's website. 

The second check is a valuation check. Lewis explained current council tax bands were established in 1991, ahead of a new council tax being introduced in 1993. 

Lewis said a 'stop gap system' was established with bands decided by someone driving around in a car and counting bedrooms in each property. But he said it is staggeringly inaccurate, and that it has not been re-evaluated since.

He therefore suggested checking how much your property was worth in 1991, when this check was carried out. 

Viewers also shared their appreciation on Twitter, thanking Lewis for his valuable advice 

To do this, find the current price of your property and then convert it into 1991 house prices. There are free online tools available to do this. 

If both checks indicate you're in the wrong band, then it's worth contacting authorities to check to confirm. 

Lewis warned against carrying out just one of the checks as it could result in charges if done incorrectly. 

He said: 'Do not just do it with one check for the simple reason, you can't ask your band to be lowered, but you can ask for it to be looked at.'

Those who discover they are in too high a band could be due a backdated payment to 1993. He cited one woman who had received a £6,000 refund. 

Check 2: The valuation check 

This handy guide was explained in full on Lewis' Money Saving Expert site. 

A second crucial step is to estimate what your house was worth in 1991, as that's when and how the council tax bands were defined.

This can't be used as evidence if you challenge your band. But it enables you to check out various house prices on your street and it's an important test that you're on the right track if you do decide to challenge.

First – value your house

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.

1. Go to free house price websites. To find a price quickly, use a website which offers free historic sales price information. These include Nethouseprices, Zoopla and Rightmove. 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.


2. Note down the price and date. Find the most recent sale price of a similar property to yours in your street. Now note down both the price and the date of sale.

Find what it was worth in 1991

Once you have that information, you can use it to estimate what your property would've been worth back in 1991, and what band it's in. The Money Save Expert website has built a calculator.

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https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/11/martin-lewis-reveals-that-speaking-to-neighbours-about-their-council-tax-could-save-you-money/
Main photo article Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis revealed thousands of Brits could be paying too much in council tax. 
Speaking on This Morning today, Lewis explained an estimated 400,000 households in England and Scotland are in the wrong council tax band.   
The personal finance expert outlined two free and st...

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