English bands were set on what a property was worth on 1 April 1991 and have never been revalued. That is why a band can look obviously wrong today, and why the comparison that matters when you challenge one is with neighbouring properties, not with today's price.
How to do it
- Look up the band for the address and for several neighbouring properties of the same type and size on the official Valuation Office Agency listing.
- If your band is higher than near-identical neighbours, you have the beginnings of a case — that inconsistency, not today's market value, is the ground for a challenge.
- Work out what the 1991 value would have been before contacting the VOA. A challenge argued on present-day prices misses the basis entirely.
- Understand the risk before you file: a review looks at the evidence, and it can move neighbouring properties too. Check the comparables first.
Scale of the difference between bands is worth knowing: Band A is roughly two-thirds of a Band D bill and Band H is twice it, so a single band is real money every year for as long as you own the property.
Separately, and more recently: since April 2025 most English councils can double council tax on second homes and escalate it on long-term empty properties. That is a policy premium on top of the band, and it can quietly ruin the maths on a holiday let or a slow refurbishment.
Check it yourself, free
Council tax band checker — no account, no email wall.
Sources
Related
- Can I challenge my council tax band?
- Council tax band checker
- Second homes and the double council tax premium
- The free checks to run before you offer
Last reviewed: 2026-09-20. We check these against the linked official sources and re-date the page when they change.