Company offering to get Council tax reduced.

A question about : Company offering to get Council tax reduced.

Out of the blue today we had a phone call from a company called Dalton and Dalton, tax consultants. During the call they said that our house was wrongly banded and that they could get us a reduction. the figure they are talking about is in the region of Ј3,000 (total added up over 19 years). when asked why they had contacted us they said that they had about 40 neighbours signed up [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

All the houses on the road are banded B on the yougov website.

[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] It seems that they have 'someone in the area on Monday'

Has anyone else ever come across this kind of thing?

Best answers:

• [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]
  [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] the actual process of re-valuing a property is free as its part of the valuations office statutory duty.
  These companies charge you to for contacting the Valuation Office - you can do this yourself for free.- https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndC...ax/DG_10037383
• Agree with CIS. Do it yourself and you'll keep every penny of the overpayment.
• Thanks for replying.
  The company never did get in touch again anyway.
• I signed up with MSD on a 50/50 deal as I was lead to believe if I lost the appeal it would cost me Ј100's in court costs. The money, they said , would be used to pay "specialist council tax claims solicitors" lol.
  I got the letter from the council yesterday saying I had been successful and the money is on its way.
  I now find that the appeal process is free and am thinking of not paying them as I believe it's misrepresentation.
  My next door neighbour got her money 2 weeks ago and as so far refused to pay them so also awaiting further news from her.
  What's my standing on this?
  John
• My thoughts exactly.
• i want to get my house rebanded, i do actually think my house is in the wrong tax band. I have contacted my local council who said that its not them that deals with it but the Valuation office that does. i have passed them my details as they said they will sort out. Il keep u all posted
• How do you prove something like that.
  I've written to the relevant Trading Standards office and they confirmed that they are making enquiries into their trading practices.
  Filled in the form they sent me as well but still waiting for a reply.
• Does anyone have any more info on this? My elderly MIL has apparently paid Ј150 upfront to this company and has signed a contract with them which says that she will give them 25% of anything reclaimed. She is 78 and we feel this is preying on the elderly.
• This very same company has been pestering my 86 year old mother and persuaded her to accept an appointment. Luckily I found out in time and was able to be with her. 'Courtesy call' came before the appointment time so they got a full blast from me.
  My mother had a sleepless night worrying about this (she's confused anyway and my Dad died only a few weeks ago) and so did I, not from worrying but from anger about what they were putting her through.
  My Mum is TPS registered but when challenged about this they suggested she couldn't be or they would not have called. Rubbish, of course.
  Scum of the earth.
• On google I typed the name of the company and voa together it shows them and 22 other companies as agents.
  Also on the home page of the valuation agency it has agent guidelines it seems its not as simple as a phone call to have your band reduced.
  I have followed mse instructions and the valuation office told me they don't accept Internet indices. Someone please help
  How do I get the evidence mr Wilson at the valuation office based in manchester told me my band won't get reduced as what I sent is a joke. My next door neighbour exactly the same semi detached is paying less than me. This is frustrating please help
• Thanks to all above. Just had the phone call from some pushy salesman at DALTON .... pestered like mad to make appointment for tomorrow. When I asked him his surname he refused to give it. They should do well in my road 11 spinsters all over 70 years, just hope I can print this out and deliver it to all the houses before these rouges get there first.
• We got our Ј6200 council tax rebate in January this year. Its fair if theseguys charge a fee, at the end of the day its business and if it wasn't for Dalton and Dalton tax people, I wouldn't have known that all these years wewere paying more council tax than our neighbours.
• tbh I wouldnt have known, you dont look into things unless you get into it.. I would advice people that if they dont want to go with these companies then do look into it when they ring you, may you can claim the amount yourself, just cut the middleman. The only good thing about these comapnies is that they deal with allthe paperwork
• There is very little paperwork!
  Either a simple letter or even a telephone call to the VOA.
• I have just had a cold phone call from Dalton and Dalton. I said I would find out all about it before I would let them come to my house. I wa impressed that they gave me a phone number and their website. From the information in this thread I went to the VOA site and found that all my neighbours are in the same tax band so what chance it should be lower. We are tax band E for the semi's in the road - others , I presume the detached are in F. Does anyone reckon it is even worth pursuing this with the VOA?
• " I wa impressed that they gave me a phone number and their website."
  How is that remotely impressive?