Martin Lewis's urgent council tax warning to anyone who bought their house before 1991

The nation's money-saving leader explains the 2 checks you request to bash earlier challenging your assembly taxation band

UK's guru of thrift, Martin Lewis, has enactment retired a pressing plea for folks to cheque if they're owed a hefty portion backmost connected their assembly tax. Despite banging the drum for years, it turns retired that successful England and Scotland, determination hasn't been a rejig of assembly taxation bands since mode backmost successful 1991.

This could mean an almighty fig of homes are forking retired much than they should. Martin clarified that for your emblematic Band D abode, with a yearly assembly taxation measure of £2,171, challenging its class and bumping it down to Band C could pouch you a beauteous penny.

But, helium rings a doorbell of caution for those who bought their pads earlier 1991 - Lewis advises homeowners to fig retired however overmuch their spot was worthy backmost past and transportation retired circumstantial checks to swerve immoderate imaginable fiscal issues.

"These are the checks you request to do. The cheque and situation strategy is my system, it is not an authoritative system, this is my mode to springiness you a level of safety," helium declared connected a caller broadcast of The Martin Lewis Money Show.

"The archetypal cheque is the neighbours' check. Is your set higher than neighbours successful adjacent preferably identical oregon akin homes? You don't request to inquire them, you tin simply spell connected and cheque your set astatine gov.uk for England and Wales."

"If it looks similar you're successful a higher set than galore of your neighbours successful akin homes, the 2nd check, which can't beryllium utilized successful evidence, is your information check."

He past went connected to explicate that 1991 spot values inactive find assembly taxation bands, saying: "What was your location worthy successful 1991? Because it is inactive those 1991 prices that dictate what set you are in."

Martin provided guidance connected assessing your home's past value: "So if you bought your location aft 1991, it's rather casual you conscionable find the terms and the merchantability date."

For earlier purchases, helium suggested utilizing spot websites similar Zoopla and Rightmove to find akin properties sold since past and back-calculating their worth successful 1991 prices. He noted that escaped online calculators tin assistance with this.

However, Martin cautioned that challenging your assembly taxation set should not beryllium taken lightly, arsenic it risks inadvertently expanding neighbours' bills. Clarifying the process, helium added: "That's due to the fact that you can't inquire for your set to beryllium lowered. You tin inquire for your set to beryllium looked at.

"And that means, well, if you lone walk the neighbours check, it could mean it's not you who's successful excessively precocious a band, it's each your neighbours successful excessively debased a band, and erstwhile you inquire for this, their set goes up, which volition not marque you precise popular. I would lone look astatine challenging my banding if I passed intelligibly some tests." Martin drove his constituent location to instrumentality attraction by saying, "Nothing present is perfect, I cannot warrant perfection."