How can houses be in the wrong band?
When council tax was introduced in 1993 every house in the UK had to be assessed and put into one of eight bands from A to H based upon its valuation. This was a huge task and there were simply too many houses for the government to undertake valuations of every property.
To address the problem the government employed local estate agents and surveyors up and down the country to give their opinion of the value of properties in their area by simply driving past them and allocating a band with just a glance. The bands were allocated based upon 1991 valuation figures. This was intended to be a temporary solution, however no revaluations have been undertaked in England or Scotland since the introduction of Council Tax back in 1993.
This means that many houses are in the incorrect band and have been so since 1993 which is why some people are paying more than their neighbours even though they live in exactly the same house.
What are the council tax bands?
Council Tax Bands are calculated based upon how much a property would have been worth in 1991 as per the information below.
| Band | England 1991 Property Value |
|---|---|
| A | All properties under £40,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | Over £320,000 |