Council Tax

I understand that the majority of park homes are in council tax band A, yet there are a few in band B, I have heard that certain parks have managed to change from band B to band A, and wondered how they managed to do this.  If anyone is a resident of a park that has managed the get their band changed from B to A can you let me know the process you used please.  Thank you

HI there

The valuation of a property for the purposes of Council Tax banding are worked on the figure of what you would have paid for your property in 1991. Having said that, there has always been a presumption that park homes were given the Band A category. There has also always been an argument that the park home owner owns only the park home and not the land it sits on and should therefore be valued accordingly. The value of your home may also be estimated by its value selling off site, rather than selling with the benefit of the right to be sited on the land. All arguments I am sure, that the Valuation Officer has heard before.

However, park homes have increased in price and many have been taken out of the 'affordable homes' price range and are bought for the lifestyle a park home estate offers. In theory, your home or similar should have been worth under £40,000 in 1991 to qualify for Band A. Whether your local Valuation Officer will accept this reasoning is another matter.

There are more and more park homes being placed in Band B (£40,001 - £52,000 value in 1991) throughout the country.

My personal opinion is that I would accept Band B, which for most people would be less than they were paying in a 'bricks and mortar' home. Too many Appeals against a valuation could start ringing bells in a Valuation Officer's ears and they may firm up their argument to do a valuation on the whole price of the home, which could be disasterous.

However, you may still be lucky. It is for you to weigh up the pros and the cons. If you decide to have a go, contact your local Valuation Officer at your local council offices and say that you would like to appeal against your valuation and they will explain what will then happen.

Ed.

Hello  Ed  Would  the  same rule  apply  to  parkhomes..that  to  appeal  against  your  poll  tax  band , you  have  to  appeal  within  six  months  of  purchase...also  how  would  the  rate  of  council  tax  be  worked  out  for  the  site  owner  being  as  each  plot  pays  tax  too..............the  house  that  I  last  lived  in  was  in  band  E..  we  tried  to  appeal  against  this  but  was  told  at  the  local  council  that  it  was  the  plot  of  land  the  house  was  on  that  justified  the  band...Im  not  relating  this  to  park  homes . ...Hope  your  okay  and  havnt  succumbed  to  this  awful  flu, that  knocked  me  off  my  feet  two  weeks  ago.    evergreen