How YOU can lower your ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ by challenging it - 99.6% of Ë¡°Æs Íî¤Á¤ë or stay the same when people follow these steps

Hundreds of thousands of À¤ÂÓs may be able to ºï¸º¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë their ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ Ë¡°Æ by requesting their ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º is put in a lower ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, Money Mail can ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿Ï³¤é¤¹.

Those who ·ùµ¿¼Ô¡¤ÍƵ¿¼Ô¡¿µ¿¤¦ they are in the incorrect ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd have little to lose by challenging it, as around a third are successful and ·ë¶ÉºÇ¸å¤Ë¤Ï¡¼¤Ê¤ë »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ ¡½ while only one in every 2,500 ends up »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing more.

À¤ÂÓs that could be successful are typically put off from challenging their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd as they ¶²¤ì¤ë the ²áÄø is difficult and they may ·ë¶ÉºÇ¸å¤Ë¤Ï¡¼¤Ê¤ë »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing more, not ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯.

Sadly, the first part is true, because getting a ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd changed can be a painstaking »Å»ö.?

But the incredible success Ψ has been ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿Ï³¤é¤¹d to Money Mail and our sister website This is Money in ¸ø¼°¤Î¡¿Ìò¿Í ¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»ús from a Freedom of ¡Ê·Ù»¡¤Ê¤É¤Ø¤Î¡ËÌ©¹ð¡¤¹ðÁʡʾõ¡Ë Request.

Just ten homes ¡½ 0.04 per cent of À¤ÂÓs querying their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd in the year to April 2023 ¡½ were moved into a higher ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd, ¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð data for ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs in England and ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s from the Valuation Office µ¡´Ø (VOA).?

This means ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ either fell or stayed the same for 99.96 per cent who challenged it.

The ¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»ú could be even lower than that, because the VOA °ìÏ¢¤Î²ñµÄ¡¢¸ò¾Ä¡¿´°À®¤¹¤ëd up the number to the nearest ten.

In comparison, 8,430 (37 per cent) of those who challenged their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd were moved to a lower one, although the Âç¿¿ô (14,010, or 62 per cent) were kept in the same ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd.

The ¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»ús were Îà»÷¤Î for other ºÇ¶á¤Î years, with only 0.13 per cent of homes (20) moving up ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd after ¹µÁÊ¡¤¾å¹ðs in 2021/22, and 0.15?per cent (20) »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing more when they challenged theirs in 2020/21.

In ºÇ¶á¤Î weeks, most À¤ÂÓs will have received their ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ Ë¡°Æs for the coming year at a new higher Ψ. Almost all will have seen a °ú¤­¾å¤²¡Ê¤ë¡Ë of 4.99 per cent, or an extra ¡ò104 a year for a typical À¤ÂÓ.

The arrival of these shock Ë¡°Æs will Ͷȯ¤¹¤ë thousands to challenge their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd. The VOA, which manages ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd, sees an Áý²Ã¤¹¤ë in these queries every April.

The VOA will throw out any spurious ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ës to reband ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ, so you need to have a ËÜʪ¤Î ¿äÏÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿Íýͳ to want to change it.

When the ¸½ºß¤Î ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ system was ³«»Ï¤¹¤ë¡¤ÂǤÁ¾å¤²¤ëd in 1991, every ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º in England and ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s was valued and put in one of seven ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd.

¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd A was for ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs valued at under ¡ò40,000 whose owners would »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â the lowest level of ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ; while ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd H was for ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs valued at ¡ò320,000 or higher, with their owners »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing the highest level.

These ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd are still ¸ºß used today.

However, the ²áÄø at the time was ·ç´Ùd, with many valuations ºÛȽ´±d ´Êñ¤Ë on the ³°¸« of a building rather than ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ë scrutiny of its market value.

As many as 33 years later, ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd have still never undergone a ²·Çä overview. Instead, À¤ÂÓs can challenge theirs if they believe their home was overvalued in 1991.

Owners who challenged their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber were ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç the most successful in 2023, with 42.9 per cent and 41.9?per cent ¤½¤ì¤¾¤ì seeing their ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd Íî¤Á¤ë.

À¤ÂÓs in the Midlands and London were ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç the least successful, with 25.8 and 32 per cent ¤½¤ì¤¾¤ì winning their contests.

But should your challenge ¾ÚÌÀ¤¹¤ë ÉÔÀ®¸ù¤Î and you are moved to a higher ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, you could ľÌ̤¹¤ë angry ÎÙ¿Ís ¡½ ƱÍÍ¤Ë as higher Ë¡°Æs.

That¡Çs because when you query a ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd with the VOA, you are Í׵᤹¤ëd to give examples of Îà»÷¤Î ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs in the same area »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ than you.?

If the VOA decides you are ¸½¼Â¤Ë »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing the ¸¢Íø ÎÌ in ÀǶâ, it may decide that other Ãϸµ¤Î ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»ºs need to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â more too.

This has led to »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs where one ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º in a street has challenged a ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd, only to have all the other homes in the road uprated as a result.

In 2015, µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ës of Lynton Avenue in Á¥ÂÎ ended up »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing ¡ò160 a year more in ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ after one homeowner¡ Çs failed ´ë¤Æ¡¤ÅØÎÏ¡¤Äó°Æ to get their ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º downgraded.

Here¡Çs how to challenge your ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd:

Low risk: Just 0.04% of households querying their council tax band in the year to April 2023 were moved into a higher tax band

Low ´í¸±: Just 0.04% of À¤ÂÓs querying their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd in the year to April 2023 were moved into a higher ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd

See how your home Âкö up

Ask ÎÙ¿Ís in a Îà»÷¤Î ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º what ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd they are in. If they are in a lower ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, that Áý²Ã¤¹¤ës the chance that you should be too.

Alternatively, if you don¡Çt want to ask your ÎÙ¿Ís, you can check their ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd, or in fact the banding of any ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º in England or ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s, using the VOA¡Çs online Æ»¶ñ at gov.uk/²ñµÄ-ÀǶâ-¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd.

If you live in Scotland, use the Scottish Assessors ¶¨²ñ (SAA) instead at saa.gov.uk/.

Go »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë in time to check value

The next step is to work out what your home was ²ÁÃ͡ʤ¬¤¢¤ë¡Ë in 1991, when the ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd were decided.

Unle ss your home has °ÊÁ° been revalued for ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ ÌÜŪs, it won¡Çt have changed since then.

This is often simplest to work out online, by using websites such as Rightmove, which µ­Ï¿¡¤µ­Ï¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µ­Ï¿¤¹¤ë historic sale prices from 1995.

If you bought your house after 1991 but before 1995 you may be able to work out its value from looking up house adverts of the time in newspaper ¸Åµ­Ï¿s.

¸¦µæ the 1991 ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd

Next, check which ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd your ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º should have been put in during 1991.?

This can be done online at gov.uk/ »ØƳ¡¿¼ê°ú/understand-how- ²ñµÄ-ÀǶâ-¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd-are-ººÄꤹ¤ë¡¿¡ÊÀǶâ¤Ê¤É¤ò¡Ë²Ý¤¹d.

If your ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º seems to be in too high a ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, you may have a »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô to get it re-banded.

Expense: Most households will have received council tax bills for this year at a new higher rate. Almost all have seen a hike of 4.99 %, or an extra ¡ò104 a year for a typical household

Expense: Most À¤ÂÓs will have received ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ Ë¡°Æs for this year at a new higher Ψ. Almost all have seen a °ú¤­¾å¤²¡Ê¤ë¡Ë of 4.99 %, o r an extra ¡ò104 a year for a typical À¤ÂÓ

Éþ½¾¤µ¤»¤ë¡¿Äó½Ð¤¹¤ë Your challenge with ¾Úµò

The fourth step is to ask for your ²ñµÄ ÀǶ⠶ػߡʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd to be ºÆɾ²Á¤¹¤ëd. Consider very carefully whether you want to go ahead.?

Although it¡Çs a small ´í¸±, there is always the chance that your ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd will go up rather than É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë and your ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ Ë¡°Æs will rise.

In England and ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s, you can put in a »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô to the VOA online at gov.uk/challenge-²ñµÄ- ÀǶâ-¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd. Alternatively, claimants can email ctinbox@voa.gov.uk or call 03000 501 501.

This is a Ê£»¨¤Ë¤¹¤ëd ²áÄø, and you will have to give plenty of ¾Úµò to »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë up your ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ë. You will also be asked to explain why you think your home is in the wrong ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd ¡½ and which ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd you think it should be in.

In Scotland, this can all be done on the SAA website at saa.gov.uk/²ñµÄ-ÀǶâ/²ñµÄ- ÀǶâ-¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd.

A ¹ṉ̃s Advice ¹­ÊóôÅö¼Ô says: ¡ÆIf the VOA agrees to review your ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd they will Îá¾õ to you, usually within two months, to let you know their ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë.

¡ÆÂѤ¨¤ë in mind that if your home is in ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd A, the lowest ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd, the VOA can¡Çt ¸º¤º¤ë it ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î.¡Ç

If you ¸å·Ñ¤¹¤ë, you are likely to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â between ¡ò100 and ¡ò400 ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ in ²ñµÄ ÀǶâ each year. You should also get a refund for all the years you have been overpaying, backdated to when you moved in.

These payouts can go »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë as far as 1993, when the ÀǶ⠡ʵ¡¤Î¡Ë¥«¥à into ·³Ââ, and could be ²ÁÃ͡ʤ¬¤¢¤ë¡Ë thousands of ³¤±¤¶¤Þ¤ËÌԷ⤹¤ës.