Glossary

Material reduction

A change that reduces a home's value — demolition, subsidence — and can lower the band immediately.

A material reduction — for example, part of the property being demolished, structural damage, or loss of a garage — can lower the band right away, without waiting for a sale. You apply to the VOA with evidence (photos, structural reports). This is different from a normal appeal, which challenges the original 1991 valuation.

Related terms

Material increase
A building improvement (extension, loft conversion) that can trigger a re-band when the property is sold.
Proposal
The formal name for a council tax band challenge submitted to the VOA.

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