Council Tax appeals

You can ask us to reconsider any decisions we make about your Council Tax if you don’t agree with:

  • your Council Tax liability
  • the Council Tax band that your property’s been placed in
  • a property completion notice

You'll still need to pay your current Council Tax charges whilst you're making an appeal or challenge.

If your appeal is successful we'll send you a new Council Tax bill. If you've overpaid any Council Tax you'll be able to claim a refund from us.

Appeal your Council Tax bill 

You can make an appeal about your Council Tax bill if you think: 

  • the bills are being sent to the wrong person
  • the amount charged is wrong
  • your home should be exempt from charges
  • you should be entitled to a disabled person’s reduction

You can only appeal if the Council Tax bill is addressed to you, or you're the property owner (if you rent your property out).

We have two months to reply in writing to your appeal. If you disagree with our decision, or you haven’t heard from us within two months, you can appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal. See the Valuation Tribunal website for more information about the appeals process.

You can't appeal because you think your Council Tax is too expensive, or you don't agree with what we spend your Council Tax on.

Challenge your Council Tax band 

We don't decide which Council Tax band your home is in. This is done by the government and you should appeal to their Valuation Office Agency if you want to challenge your band.  

You'll get a decision from the Valuation Office Agency within two months of your challenge. If you don't agree it you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal. This is an independent body that isn't connected to the council or the Valuation Office Agency. 

In the meantime you should continue to pay the current charge on your Council Tax bill.

Appeal a completion notice

If your home is being built, or you're making major improvements to it, we'll give you a completion notice to tell you the date you must start paying Council Tax. 

If you disagree with this you can appeal a completion notice to the Valuation Tribunal within 28 days from the date we issued the notice. You can also ask us to reconsider our decision by filling in our online form.

Read our Council Tax completion notices guidance and Council Tax completion notices legislation for more details.

Ask for a refund if you've overpaid Council Tax

If your Council Tax challenge or appeal is accepted, you can claim a refund for the amount of Council Tax you've overpaid.