Can challenging your Council Tax band put it up?

Yes. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) says that after a challenge your band "can go up, down, or stay the same", and that it may also review the bands of similar neighbouring homes. The VOA has also said that if a band goes up, the increase isn't backdated.

When the risk is higher

• Most similar homes nearby are in your band or a higher one.
• The bands around you are mixed.
• Your comparison left out an extension, a conversion or a difference in type.
• Your case rests mainly on an online estimate or an index calculation.
• Something in your evidence points to a higher value, not a lower one.

None of these means your band will go up. Each is a reason to look harder before asking for a review.

The homes you cite

The comparables in your challenge are other people's homes. If the VOA looks at one and finds its band is too low, it can correct that band as well. Bear that in mind before you put a neighbour's address in writing.

Don't count on withdrawing

The VOA doesn't publish guidance on withdrawing a proposal. And once it has noticed that a band may be too low, it can correct that whether or not your challenge continues. The protection is not to start a weak case in the first place.

If your band goes up

Read the decision notice for the new band, the date it applies from and your rights. After a proposal you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal (within 3 months in England, 4 months in Wales). After a band review there's no appeal. Keep paying the bill the council issues.

Keeping the risk low

1. Compare yourself with the whole street, not only the lower-banded homes.
2. Check type, size, age and alterations for every comparable.
3. Treat any score, including ours, as a screen, not a guarantee.
4. Ask for the band the evidence supports, usually one lower.
5. Stop and look harder if the evidence is mixed.

When not to challenge works as a check before you decide.