How to challenge your council tax band: six months, five comparables and a four-month wait

A council tax bill turns on a single letter — A to H in England. That letter was not set by what the property is worth now, but by what it was worth on 1 April 1991. Wales uses a different date, 1 April 2003, and has nine bands, up to I. You can challenge the letter, and it costs nothing, but there are two routes and their timescales differ threefold.

What is the difference between a proposal and a band review?

The first route is making a proposal — a legal right to challenge. You have it if you have been paying council tax on the property for less than six months, or if the Valuation Office has changed your band in the last six months. The second route is a band review: you simply think the band is wrong, but you have been paying for more than six months and nothing has changed recently. The difference matters: you can only appeal a decision to a tribunal if you had a legal right to make a proposal.

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When do you have a legal right?

Beyond the two cases above, the right arises where there has been a change affecting the value: the property has been split into several or merged into one; its use has changed, for example part of it is now used for business; or the local area has changed physically, such as a new supermarket or main road.

Separate grounds cover removing a property from the list or adding it. Removal applies if the property has been demolished; is derelict or in serious disrepair with a number of serious structural problems; is undergoing major renovation affecting all or most of it; or is now a business. "Poor repair" alone is not enough — the bar is a collapsed ceiling. Once off the list, no council tax is paid; payment resumes from the date the work finishes or you move back in.

What do you have to supply?

In every case: your name, the property address, the date from which you want to make the proposal, and whether you are the homeowner or a tenant. Where the ground is a change, you add a description of it — the works, the change of use, or how the area has changed physically. A new taxpayer of under six months also gives the date they became a council tax payer, which may precede the move-in date.

What evidence does a band review need?

Addresses for up to five similar properties in a lower band. Genuinely similar: same type (a semi-detached compared with semi-detached houses), same size by bedrooms and total area, same age, style and design. And in the same street or estate in a town or city, or the same village or area in the countryside.

The other kind of evidence is sale prices. For England the sales must fall between 1 April 1989 and 31 March 1993; for Wales, between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2005. Give the addresses, the prices and the dates — the closer the date to the valuation date, the more likely the Valuation Office can use it. Average house price information from sites such as the Nationwide House Price Index, Nethouseprices, Rightmove or Zoopla is not treated as strong evidence.

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What are the English band thresholds?

By value in April 1991: A, up to £40,000; B, more than £40,000 and up to £52,000; C, more than £52,000 and up to £68,000; D, more than £68,000 and up to £88,000; E, more than £88,000 and up to £120,000; F, more than £120,000 and up to £160,000; G, more than £160,000 and up to £320,000; H, more than £320,000.

Where do you send it?

In England and Wales, to the Valuation Office through the online service, usable whether or not you have a legal right. Removing a property from the list needs a paper Council Tax challenge form instead. There is also an inbox: ctinbox@hmrc.gov.uk. In Scotland it goes to an assessor at the local Valuation Joint Board or council.

You can challenge on someone else's behalf if they have appointed you as their representative on an Authority to act form; both forms then go to the VO at the same time, and the online service is not used.

One thing to note: you must keep paying council tax while the challenge is being reviewed.

How long does it take?

The VO usually confirms receipt within a few days, sometimes up to 28 days. A decision on a proposal takes up to 4 months; on a band review, up to 12. The outcome: the band is changed and the council revises the bill and pays any refund due; the property is removed from the list; it is added with a new band; or you are told why it cannot change.

And if you disagree with the decision?

Only those with a legal right to make a proposal can appeal. The appeal goes to the Valuation Tribunal England or Wales, independent of the VO. It is free, but you pay your own costs, such as travel or an agent. The limit is normally 3 months from the decision in England, 4 months in Wales; an extension is possible, with the reason given on the form. If the tribunal agrees, the VO changes the band and the council updates the bill.