Council Tax bands

Council Tax queries and appeals

The Council Tax office cannot deal with queries about your valuation band. The Council is not involved in the valuation of property. We are legally obliged to charge and enforce collection based on the Council Tax band shown in the current valuation list.

The district valuer of the Valuation Office Agency is responsible for assessing property values for Council Tax purposes.

Banding appeals

Banding for Council Tax is the responsibility of the valuation office agency or VOA.

Unless your property has been altered, any appeal against the banding of a property may only be made within 6 months of the Council Tax payer becoming liable. You should be aware that following an appeal, it’s possible that your property’s banding may go up rather than down.

During an appeal you must continue to pay the Council Tax based on the present valuation band of your property. Until the listing officer changes the list. We cannot waive payment until your appeal is settled. If your appeal is successful we will refund any overpayment you may have made.

You can view your property and check if you can request a review. To do this you will need to select ‘council tax’ on the Valuation Office Agency website.

You can contact the VOA at any time. If you can’t use this service, call 03000 501 501. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm.

Valuation Officer for London Borough of Hackney
Valuation Office Agency
Durham Customer Service Centre
Wycliffe House
Green Lane
Durham
DH1 3UW

Disabled band reduction

You may qualify for a disabled band reduction in your Council Tax bill if you or someone who lives with you requires:

• an extra bathroom
• an extra kitchen
• a room, which is essential or of importance to the disabled person’s wellbeing, such as a kidney dialysis machine
• extra space in your property to meet special needs arising from a disability

If you already get such a reduction, your bill will say ‘disabled band’.

Apply for a disabled band reduction

If you believe that you may be entitled to receive a disabled band reduction, complete the form below.

Apply for a band reduction application

You can also contact us on 020 8356 3154.

Only the person who is liable to pay the council tax can apply for the reduction. The disabled person must be living in the property. If you can, provide some supporting documentation which confirms that the extra space or room is needed by the disabled person. We will also inspect the property.

If you qualify for the reduction, your Council Tax will be charged at the valuation band immediately below that is shown in the valuation list. You should note that the valuation band of the property will not be changed – just the charging basis.

A disabled band reduction is also available to people who live in a band A property. In this case, the Council Tax will be charged on a percentage of the band A value.