Council Tax bands
Overview
If you are moving into a newly built property, there may be a delay in sending you a Council Tax bill. This is because the Valuation Office (which is an executive agency of HM Revenue and Customs) must value your property and allocate it a Valuation Band, until this is done, the council is unable to calculate how much Council Tax you will have to pay.
The VOA are an independent agency, responsible for valuing all properties and placing your home in one of eight property bands. The VOA will calculate the valuation band based on comparative property prices on the 1 April 1991.
In England, the Council Tax bands are as follows:
| Band | Range of values (relative to 1991 prices) |
|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 |
| B | £41,000 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | £320,001 and above |
There is usually a delay while the VOA work out the band of your home, in most cases this is done in a few weeks.
During this time, we strongly recommend that to prevent any possibility of you receiving a large bill once the property is banded that you consider requesting a provisional band or to make regular payments to credit the account.
This gives you the opportunity to make regular monthly payments until the banding has been decided by the VOA. If you choose to do this, you should decide which band your property is likely to be in, using the range of values above. You can also see what other similar properties bands are on the VOA website.
When the VOA has calculated your valuation band, they will write to you to let you know which band your home has been placed in. They will also inform the council of the band which will then allow us to calculate your council tax and send you a bill. All the payments made while your property is subject to the provisional band will be shown on the bill once banded.
