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Council Tax appeals and disputes

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You can't appeal against the general levels of Council Tax set by the council each year.

If you appeal against your Council Tax, you must continue with your regular payments until your appeal has been dealt with.

If you think your Council Tax band is wrong

If you disagree with the Council Tax band that your property is in, you need to contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), not the council.

You can find out more about how to challenge a Council Tax band on the GOV.uk website.

What can I appeal against?

You can appeal against your Council Tax if you think:

  • your home should not be charged Council Tax (is exempt) - for example, if only full-time students live there
  • someone other than you should be liable to pay the Council Tax
  • that a discount, exemption or disabled reduction should have been given
  • that the works on a new or adapted property cannot be completed by the date shown on the completion notice we have served.

How can I appeal?

As a first step you must write to us, giving reasons why you think your Council Tax bill is wrong. We may then ask you for more information so we can make a decision.

In your letter, you must include:

  • your name and address
  • the address of the property, if different
  • what your interest is in the property, for example, if you are the owner, tenant or other; and
  • what decision you are appealing against and why.

We will either:

  • decide that the bill is wrong and send you a new one, or
  • decide that the bill is right and explain why.

We have two months to reply in writing. If you disagree with our decision, or you don’t hear back within two months, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal. You must do this in writing within two months of receiving a letter from us. For completion notices, you must appeal within four weeks from the issue of the notice.

The Valuation Tribunal is an independent legal body. If the tribunal agrees with you, we will update your bill and adjust your monthly payments.

For more information about the appeals process, please see the Valuation Tribunal website.

Contact Council Tax

Email: council.tax@dover.gov.uk

Phone: 01304 872199