You can challenge your Council Tax band or find and check your business rates for free. You may choose to appoint an agent to carry out this work on your behalf.
If you choose to appoint an agent, you should be aware that there are a number of fraudulent Council Tax and business rates agents operating around the country. Someone may telephone you or appear at your door claiming to be able to reduce your Council Tax or business rates bill.
You can find out how to avoid and report internet scams and phishing.
How to identify a fraudulent agent
There are a number of tactics that fraudulent agents may use to get you to part with your money.
Types of scams that fraudulent agents may use
A fraudulent agent may:
- insist you’re definitely in the wrong Council Tax band and are owed back payments on your Council Tax bill, when in fact your band is correct
- say they’re from the local council or Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and ask for your bank details so they can provide a refund, then steal money from the bank account
- claim that the VOA charges you to challenge your Council Tax band - this is not correct, you can do this for free
- claim that taxpayers must, by law, be represented by an agent to challenge their band, when in fact anyone can do this
- state that they’re on an approved list of agents recognised by the VOA, when in fact the VOA does not keep any such list
- tell you they have submitted an appeal to the VOA on your behalf and give you a forged acknowledgment notice when in fact they haven’t submitted an appeal
How to avoid falling victim to these scams
You should:
You shouldn’t:
- give your bank details to anyone
- let anyone into your home without seeing appropriate identification
- feel under pressure from a cold caller to pay an immediate up-front fee - take the time you need to think about it
- accept cold callers’ claims about your band or rateable value without seeing evidence or proof of what they’re claiming
- deal with anyone that is reluctant to give you their company address or contact details
What to do if you think your Council Tax band or rateable value is wrong
If you think the Council Tax band for your home is wrong, then all you have to do is contact the VOA and explain why you think it’s incorrect. We’ll ask you to confirm that the details we hold about your home are correct. We’ll listen to your views and if, following a review, we agree that your band is wrong, we’ll change it. Please note that bands can occasionally go up as well as down.
If you think the rateable value for your business (non-domestic) property is wrong, then you can use the online service to tell us. We’ll ask you to confirm the details that we hold about your property. Please note that your rateable value could go up as well as down.