Council Tax appeals

You have the right to challenge and appeal your Council Tax bill if:

• You should not be liable for Council Tax
• You believe your property should be exempt
• The amount charged is incorrect
• Your Council Tax Support is calculated incorrectly
• You consider a penalty has been applied incorrectly
• We have not given you a discount
• We have not reduced your bill because you or someone you live with has a disability

Any appeal should initially be made in writing:

Email counciltax@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

You still need to continue to pay your Council Tax in full until the appeal is resolved. If we cannot resolve your appeal, or you do not get a reply within 2 months, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

If you think the council’s decision is wrong, you can appeal to The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS). The VTS is an independent judicial body that provides resolution for Council Tax appeals. Their website explains the processes of making an appeal and provides previous tribunals decisions. You can contact the Valuation Tribunal Service via their online services below.

Valuation Tribunal Service

If you wish to appeal to The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS), you must contact them within 2 months of the council’s decision date or within 4 months from when you first wrote to the council if you haven’t heard from them.

If your case is accepted by the VTS, you will be expected to attend an appeal hearing to present your case to a Valuation Tribunal, who will make the final decision. The Valuation Tribunal Service will arrange an appeal hearing and will contact you to explain the procedures for the hearing. Hearings don’t usually last more than a day and it won’t cost you anything unless you decide to employ someone like a solicitor to present your case.

The VTS will provide you and the council with a copy of their decision, usually within 1 calendar month of the hearing. If the tribunal agrees with you, the council will revise our decision and issue you with an updated bill.

Council Tax penalty appeals

Under Schedule 3 of the Local Government Act 1992, the billing authority can impose a civil penalty of £70 if you:

• Fail to provide requested information
• Fail to notify us of a change which would result in the cancellation of a discount
• Knowingly make an incorrect statement in order to obtain a discount

If you have received a penalty notice and do not agree with this decision, you might be able to appeal the decision if you:

• Do not have the information we have asked for and are unable to provide it
• Have a valid reason for withholding the information
• Dispute that we have contacted you for the information

Your appeal must be made within 2 months of the penalty being imposed.

Appeals must be made directly to the Valuation Tribunal. You will need to complete an appeal form on their website:

• Valuation Tribunal – Council Tax penalty notice appeal

Or you can email them:

• Email appeals@valuationtribunal.gov.uk

Completion notice appeals

Should you disagree with the completion notice that has been issued then please contact us in order to discuss the matter.

In the event of your being unable to reach agreement with us then you may appeal the notice. If you wish to appeal, you have 28 days from the date of the notice. Appeals must be made directly to the Valuation Tribunal. You will need to complete an appeal form on their website:

• Valuation Tribunal – Council Tax completion notice

Or you can email them:

• Email appeals@valuationtribunal.gov.uk