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What about previous properties lived in the past? I lived in a tiny 1 bed house in 1999 and was very convinced that the banding was incorrect. Lived there for 5 years but dont suppose I can claim for those years?
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BumbleB
I have raked the soil and planted the seeds
Now I've joined the army that fights the weeds. -
We challeneged ours in the old house as it was smaller than most of the houses on the street and in a higher band. Had inspections and allsorts but got nowhere. I think the others were put UP though. So be careful, you may get a nasty shock instead of a nice surprise.Comment
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I think this banding business is a bit unfair, Whether your house is worth half a million or twenty five thousand you still use the same dustmen, road sweepers,emergency services etc. In fact I'll stick my neck out far enough to have it chopped off and say that the poll tax was the fairer way, just badly arranged and managed.
We discovered that our water rates were much higher than my neicees who lives three doors away. Why? Well because we have a garage!! Can you believe that! We don't even have water in our garage!!Comment
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I completely agree, at least with the poll tax it makes everybody aware that local services need to be paid for and we should all bear the burden.Originally posted by Polly Fouracre View Post
As for water - get a meter installed and only pay for what you use...................Comment
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We tried that. A very superior young man came to assess the property, recoiled at the dogs, all of whom were shut securely in crates, curled his lip at day-old chicks in the kitchen(I think if he had had a handkerchief he would have held it delicately to his nose!) and told us that the property wasn't suitable!Originally posted by rana View PostComment
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Our houses were all re-assessed just after we moved in 10 years ago after one of the neighbours had it queried. We were all reduced by a band, also the houses in the next 2 streets. I never did find out which neighbour it was to thank them - the officials aren't allowed to tell you.
As for water rates, I'm quite happy to not be on a meter - the new houses round here are and their bills all seem to be bigger than mine. Living in one of the wettest parts of England (North West), I don't feel particularly guilty about my water usage.Comment
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Suitability for a water meter has little to do with the inside of the house anyway! Normally the meter is installed outside, either in the garden or the pavement.Originally posted by Polly Fouracre View PostFlowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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A meter means paying for what you actually use. The rainfall has virtually nothing to do with the cost of supplying water to homes, the cost comes in treatment and pipe-maintenance!Originally posted by SarzWix View Post
In fact, high rainfall might be a reason to charge more than some other places, because there is more rain running off roofs etc to be found a route to 'somewhere else'.......Last edited by Hilary B; 17-07-2009, 01:05 PM.Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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The idea of 'rating' the charge is that those who are well off (or at least whose homes imply that they are well off) pay more.Originally posted by Polly Fouracre View Post
If you are paying water rates, it goes with the council-tax 'banding' and there is no obvious reason for it to be "much higher" if there is little difference in house value. Water rates are actually concerned with more than how many taps you have.....
The reason Poll Tax became unpopular (and therefore provoked sufficient protest to be dropped) was that those who had objected to the old rating system suddenly realised that they WOULD be paying the same regardless.
If it was based on 'use' across all public services, should childless households get a reduction for not using the education budget?
Some have suggested a 'local income tax' as the method of charging......Last edited by Hilary B; 17-07-2009, 01:06 PM.Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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I'm aware of thatOriginally posted by Hilary B View Post
The point was that a water meter tends to cut down people's water usage. I'm saying that I don't want to cut down on my usage, which isn't excessive anyway, and I don't feel guilty for it because we have plenty of it - never seen our local reservoir less than half full even in a dry spell.
Last edited by SarzWix; 17-07-2009, 06:27 PM.Comment
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Have always tried to reduce my water useage for environmental reasons and I quite simply don't like waste. Considering the amount of treatment etc given to our sewage and drinking water we have amazingly cheap drinking water (yes, I know it doesn't always feel like that) and it always gets me when people think it should be free - friend of mine who works for UU billing dept was telling me the other day about a woman who they're taking to court for non payment after sending her last however many bills back with "Water comes from the sky and is a gift from God" scrawled across the middle of them and a total refusal to pay! Presumably somebody has already pointed out to her that the stuff from the sky can be collected for free but does she think that's the same quality as what comes out the tap and what the heck does she think happens every time she flushes her loo! Some people!
Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.
Which one are you and is it how you want to be?Comment
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when i phoned the council tax banding people the woman on the other end of the phone told me immediatley that ours was wrong so it's not like you wait for ever or anything.. they have to get someone else to assess it but the woman on the phone is usually rightOriginally posted by Incy View PostComment
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i found that when i moved to a house which had a water meter our bills almost halved.. in my previous house (roughly the same size, same amount of people) we were paying £41 a month, in the house with a meter we only pay just over £20 and we don't really watch how much we useOriginally posted by SarzWix View PostComment
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I will look at the band that we are in.My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon LandingsComment
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I have spent some time looking into these bandings for a previous property that I lived in. A small 1 bed house that was valued at £55000 in 1999. This is eight years after the banding levels so I believe this (and all the others in the road) should have been a B banding when in fact we all payed a C. see below.
Council Tax Bands at 1991
Band ENGLAND 1991 Property Value
A All properties under £40,000
B £40,001 - £52,000
C £52,001 - £68,000
D £68,001 - £88,000
E £88,001 - £120,000
F £120,001 - £160,000
G £160,001 - £320,000
H over £320,000
I am not sure if I would have a claim as I no longer live at said address. But it might be worth a phone call.BumbleB
I have raked the soil and planted the seeds
Now I've joined the army that fights the weeds.Comment
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