Appeals
If you do not believe that your Council Tax account is correct, the first thing you should do is contact us at Council Tax. It may be that we haven’t got all the information to send you a correct bill. By giving us more details about your circumstances, it may resolve your problem.
If you still don’t agree that your Council Tax charge is correct there are some cases where you are entitled to appeal.
What can I appeal against?
The Council Tax regulations allow Taxpayers to appeal against their charge in two areas:
- The band that your home has been valued at
Valuation Decisions
The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for valuing your home. They will decide which property band your home will have and enter it into the Valuation List. The Council uses the Valuation List to charge you Council Tax. Please see what you pay for more details.
If you believe your home is in the wrong band, you may have the right to appeal. There is a time limit to when you can make an appeal, so do not hesitate to do so.
If you believe your home should not be in the Valuation List such as if it has been altered and is a now not a domestic property, or you are doing some major structural changes to it, you should first contact us at Council Tax to discuss it. We may be able to help you. If we can’t help you, you have the right to appeal.
Pleas see our information on appeals against banding.
How do I appeal about my valuation?
The Council does not make valuation decisions and you must contact the Listing Officer of the Valuation Office Agency.
He can be contacted at the following address:
The Listing Officer
Valuation Office Agency
Cathedral Court (view location of Cathedral Court)
1 Vicar Lane
Sheffield
S1 1HD
Valuation Office Agency
Cathedral Court (view location of Cathedral Court)
1 Vicar Lane
Sheffield
S1 1HD
Telephone: (0114) 289 4600
Fax: (0114) 289 4688
Website: Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
Non-valuation Decisions
The Council makes decision on whom to charge and if they are entitled to a reduction. If you believe that you are entitled to a reduction but we haven’t granted it to you, please contact us at Council Tax to discuss it. We may be able to help you.
If you are still not satisfied and believe that you are not the liable person, or you are entitled to one of the following reductions, you may appeal.
You may appeal, if you do not agree with the Council’s decision to:
- Name you as the liable person for the Council Tax charge.
- Not to grant you a discount or an exemption that you believe you are entitled to.
- Not to grant you disablement relief if you believe you are entitled to it.
How do I appeal about my Council Tax charge?
If you have asked the Council Tax Office to change your bill due to any of the reasons mentioned above and this has been refused, either verbally or in writing, you have the right to request a review of that decision.
In order to have your charge reviewed you must put your request in writing to:
The Appeals Officer
Corporate Finance
PO Box 1310
Sheffield
S1 UY
This is known as a written representation. Following receipt of your written request the Council Tax Office will review your case, make a decision and write back to you with its findings.
If you are not satisfied with the decision you can make a further appeal to the South Yorkshire Valuation Tribunal. This tribunal is independent from both the Council Tax Office and the Valuation Office Agency. The tribunal will not accept your appeal until you have made your written representations to the Council and we have turned you down or not replied to you within 2 months.
We will send you details of how to appeal to this Tribunal if we do not agree with your initial appeal.
There are some very useful guidance notes on preparing for your appeal on the South Yorkshire Valuation Tribunal.
It may help you to prepare for you appeal by looking at the information on Council Tax at the DirectGov website.
It is important that you continue to make the payments shown on your bill until you are advised that your appeal has been successful and a revised bill has been issued
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