Council tax rebate – How to challenge your council tax band

British families will receive a £150 council tax rebate on their next bill to help cope with rising energy prices.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced last week that the Government would be stepping in to help families who might struggle with the rise in energy prices.

Ofgem also announced that the price cap on energy would increase by 50 per cent as wholesale gas price have reached record highs.

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The rebate will affect homeowners in properties in bands A to D and there are ways that you can challenge your council tax band.

Certain areas will also benefit the most from the £150 rebate as those with the lowest property value will benefit the most.

It means that areas such as the North West and the South East have the highest number of households with A to D council tax bands.

Here’s how you can challenge your council tax band if you don’t meet the requirements.

How to challenge your council tax band

Council Tax bands are based on how much a property was worth on April 1, 1991.

For properties in England and Wales, you have to submit your challenge on whether you think you are in the wrong band to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

They will usually review the band and decide whether to agree to the challenge. In some cases, they might not be able to review it.

When you challenge your band, you’ll need to give a reason for your challenge and provide supporting evidence.

The VOA will review your band if you’re challenging it for any of the following reasons:

  • your property has changed – for example, it’s been demolished, split into multiple properties or merged into one
  • your property’s use has changed – for example, part of your property is now used for business
  • your local area has changed – for example, a new supermarket has been built

They’ll also review it if you’ve been paying council tax on your property for less than 6 months.

The Valuation Office Agency, which determines council tax bands, recently found it was inundated with more than 5,000 phone calls and online queries at the end of last week after the announcement.

The areas that will benefit the most from the council tax rebate

Here’s a full rundown of the properties that will benefit from the council tax rebate:

  • North East: 1.1million
  • NorthWest: 2.9million
  • Yorkshire and the Humber: 2.2million
  • East Midlands: 1.8million
  • West Midlands: 2.2million
  • East Midlands: 2.1million
  • London: 2.5million
  • South East: 2.8million
  • SouthWest, 2.1million

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