What council tax banding should my home fall under?

• Thursday, 14 January 2010
• Kathleen Retourne
• 0 Comments

Why do the majority of councils charge council tax band A for residential park homes across the country, and yet some others charge council tax B?
I am aware that although a residential park home is a chattel, council tax still has to be paid but I would have thought that they would all be banded at the same level – band A.
Is there a chance of changing a banding level? Is there a template letter or a way of wording a letter to be clear about the reasons for the change?

Graham advises
Council tax will very from location to location, as did previous rates.
If your park is a stone's throw away from Windsor Palace, your banding will not be the same as if you were to be located a short distance from the local sewage works.
The point being that there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration when the council tax banding comes to be set.
Of most importance is the notional value of your home in 1991, the ‘start date' from which valuations are considered.
It is possible to have a property reassessed and if you are in any doubt, I suggest you approach your local Valuation Office (VO) to discuss your particular circumstances.
Of principal importance, in my view, is the Valuation Office's acceptance of the encumbrance of the statutory 10 per cent commission on sale, which does not seem to have ever been argued.
It appears that Council Tax is either well down the list of importance to the national residents' associations or it is not on their list at all.
In my view, there should be a concerted effort by all the national residents' associations to strike up dialogue with the relevant Government department to ensure park home owners' voice is heard in relation to everything connected to Council Tax.
n What do you think? Could the Government do more to help park home owners? Should it set up a separate tax band for mobile homes? Let us know your views by emailing: kathleen_retourne@ipcmedia.co.uk