Watchdogs’ warning about Council Tax re-assessment and re-evaluation service

Published Wednesday, 19th September 2018

People in Hartlepool are urged to be vigilant if they receive unsolicited telephone calls from a company claiming to help reduce Council Tax payments.

The warning comes from Hartlepool Borough Council’s Trading Standards Team after it received a number of complaints from local residents who have received a call from a London-based company.

The company claims that the resident’s property has been wrongly banded and that too much Council Tax has been paid.

It then tells the resident that he/she is owed a significant refund - typically thousands of pounds - in an effort to entice the resident into agreeing to use the company’s services.

The resident is asked to pay a fee of £150 up front. Typically, a few days later paperwork arrives for the resident to complete, requesting details of the property along with an authorisation form to complete which allows the company to operate on the resident’s behalf when dealing with HM Revenue & Customs Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

While the company may in fact assist in the process, the Trading Standards Team has concerns because a resident can actually contact the VOA directly and free of charge if they have any concerns that their property has been incorrectly banded for Council Tax.

It would also appear that the claims being made by the company about the refunds due to residents are wildly exaggerated and it is always a possibility that a property could have been banded too low for Council Tax, meaning that the rates would actually need to increase.

The Trading Standards Team is therefore urging residents to contact the VOA directly if they have any concerns that their property is incorrectly banded for Council Tax. The VOA can be contacted on 03000 501501.

If people have received a similar call or indeed any suspicious calls, they can contact Hartlepool Trading Standards on 01429 523362