Portsmouth Council Tax Bands (All 8 Bands With Charge)
By
HuutiMoney
This blog will cover the topic “Portsmouth council tax bands.” It will talk in detail about the specific procedure of council tax payment in the Portsmouth Borough council. It will cover all the council tax bands and their charges according to the Portsmouth Borough council.
Portsmouth council tax bands
The general division of council tax bands all across the United Kingdoms is into 8 Bands, from A to H, Band A being the lowest while Band H being the highest. The average Bands in the Portsmouth Council are Band B homes, and thus they pay £1,416.93. The maximum council tax collected by the Portsmouth council is usually from Band B.
Portsmouth City Council
The Portsmouth City Council is a Unitary Authority in England, with approximately 92,888 residential properties under council tax, and about 5,949 commercial properties under Business rates.
The website of the council states council tax to be a property based charge that gives only one bill for every household. It provides
Portsmouth Band Charges for 2021-22
Portsmouth Borough Council Tax Bands are calculated as per the price the respective properties had in April 1991, and not their worth today. This price is decided by the Valuation Office Agency.
The value of all the eight Bands in Portsmouth Borough Council Tax Bands are as follows:
- Band A up to, and including £40,000
- Band B between £40,001 and £52,000
- Band C between £52,001 and £68,000
- Band D between £68,001 and £88,000
- Band E between £88,001 and £120,000
- Band F between £120,001 and £160,000
- Band G between £160,001 and £320,000
- Band H more than £320,000
The following are the council tax charges for each of the corresponding council tax bands in Portsmouth:
Financial year 2021-22
- Band A : £1,214.50
- Band B : £1,416.93
- Band C : £1,619.34
- Band D : £1,821.76
- Band E : £2,226.59
- Band F : £2,631.43
- Band G : £3,036.26
- Band H : £3,643.52
As is clear with these rates, Band A is for the cheapest properties and charges the least, while Band H is for the most expensive properties and it charges the most.
Division of Council tax in Portsmouth
The council tax is used by local councils for various services they provide to the residents of the council area. In Portsmouth, the council uses the tax collected by its residents for the following purposes:
- In education sector, for the care of children and families
- Used in local communities and for various central services
- To keep the community safe
- To develop the city and its culture
- Towards protecting environment, against climate change threats
- Used for health and wellbeing of its citizens, and for social care
- Used towards housing facilities, and providing options to homeless people and to prevent homelessness
- For leadership
- Used by the licensing committee
- Used by the branch of planning and policy development
- Towards regulating traffic and maintaining and developing transport
- Used in place of any other income and expenditure requirement.
How council tax is calculated
Your council tax is calculated by the Portsmouth Borough council based upon the size, location etc. of your property, and your living circumstances.
At first, the council taxes were calculated using the rental value of your home, but now that is done based upon the council tax band your property is in.
There are online portals for Portsmouth council which provide you means to calculate your council tax by entering the band in which your property is, and the time period from which you have been staying at the property.
These portals provide you with the moving that can be done for your tax banding, your current council tax and reduced council tax if your house is re-banded. You can also get a detailed breakdown of the amount specified for your council tax.
Who pays council tax in Portsmouth
Council Tax is a local tax that is applicable over all residential properties in the UK. The payment of this tax imposed is done by a person made ‘liable’ as per the rules. This ‘liable’ person is always one who is aged more than 18, responsible for that property, who can carry out the duties assigned to him, such as paying the bill or notifying the council of any changes.
Any person over 18, who resides in a property, or owns or rents a house, and is sufficiently able to do so, in general pays the council tax. A full Council Tax bill assumes at least 2 adults living on a property. Spouses, partners and adults who live together are jointly responsible for paying their council tax.
If there are more than one person living on a property, the person who is liable to pay council tax is determined by a system called the hierarchy of liability. The hierarchy goes from top to bottom. The topmost person is the one responsible for paying council tax, in whose absence, the next will be responsible and so on.
- First liability falls upon the resident owner-occupier who owns the freehold or leasehold of all or any part of the property.
- If there is no freeholder or leaseholder, council tax liability is that of the resident statutory tenant on an assured tenancy agreement, such as a council or private tenant.
- In absence of a tenant even, the liability is that of the resident who lives in the property, and is a licensee, that is, a person who is not a tenant but has permission to live there.
- If there is no licensee even, then any resident staying at the property, for example a squatter has to pay the council tax.
- As a last resort, if the property is not at all occupied by any resident, then the council tax liability falls upon the owner of the property who doesn’t live there
In the following situations, the landlord is responsible for paying the council tax in Southampton:
- If you are living in a house in multiple occupancy (HMO), that is, a house or flat that has been built or changed for living in by one or more people who are not part of the same household.
- If all the people living in a property.are under the age of 18.
- If the property is used by people who are seeking an asylum, and are living in accommodation provided by the UK Border Agency
- If the property is being used for a temporary stay, while the current residents have their main homes somewhere else
- If the property is a care home, hospital, hostel for homeless people or women’s refuge.
Who does not count for council tax calculation
The following people are not regarded as ‘Adults’, and do not count for council tax reduction in Southampton:
- If everyone living on a property is a full-time student
- A property where a Foreign Language Assistants on the official British Council programme is staying in
- If all the persons living on a property are under 18.
- If the house is a rented one, where house support is provided, and there is a common kitchen and bathroom for every resident there.
- If the person is an apprentice or youth trainee
- If it is a patient resident in hospital or any person being looked after in care homes
- A mentally impaired person
- Any person staying in hostel or night shelter
- 18 or 19 year olds who have just left schools
- Any person who is caring for someone other than a partner, or a child under 18 years of age
- A person who is a member of a religious community.
- A person who is a member of armed forces or visiting sources, or certain international institutions
- A person who is in prison for any other offence except for non-payment of council tax or fine
However, even if your property is exempt from council tax payment in Southampton, the Southampton city council provides that you still need to register for Council Tax for that property so the council is aware of who is living in the property.
After registering on the website, you can then avail the applicable discounts or exemptions on the property.
Appeal against council tax band in Portsmouth
If you think that your property is in the wrong council band, you need to appeal to have your home put in a lower valuation, but this can only be done in certain situations.
Rebanding cannot be done if the increase or reduction in value of the property is relatively less and is not enough to move the property to another band.
In order to make an appeal for change in valuation band, you have to write to the ValuationOffice Agency. Writing or appealing to the Portsmouth City council will not give any result in this case. In order to carry out this appeal, you have to keep your council tax payment up to date.
Conclusion
This blog covered the topic “Portsmouth council tax bands.” It talked in detail about the specific procedure of council tax payment in the Portsmouth Borough council. It covered all the council tax bands and their charges according to the Portsmouth Borough council.
FAQs
How much is the average council tax in Portsmouth?
The average council tax in Portsmouth is £1,416.93 or less. The National Average is more as compared to what the residents of Portsmouth council have to pay. The National benchmark for properties in Band D, while in Portsmouth it is Band B.
What are the valuation bands for council tax?
There are 8 valuation bands into which properties are divided for the purpose of council tax. These valuation Bands range from A to H, with A being the lowest band for properties with the least price, less than £40,000, and Band H being the highest band for properties having cost more than £320,000.
What price is band D council tax?
In Portsmouth, the price for band D council tax is £1,325.28, with adult social care precept equal to £127.12.
Can I get a council tax refund?
Yes you can get a council tax refund. Council tax is a tax that is paid in advance, and more than often there are change in your circumstances such as increase or decrease in number of dependents in a house, change in the resident on a property, any disability, or any sich circumstantial changes that make you eligible to avail a council tax discount or an exemption altogether. In such a case credit may accrue to your account, for which you can ask your council to refund the extra tax paid by you. Upon verification, your local council can refund you the amount of money owed to you.
What are bands in council tax?
How much council tax you need to pay depends upon the value of your property. For that purpose the Valuation Office Agency has valued each property in England and classified a certain range of value into different bands. The Bands in council tax mean what price a property would have sold for in April 1991.
Citation
http://www.mycounciltax.org.uk/results?postcode=PO4+8PH
http://www.mycounciltax.org.uk/results?postcode=PO4+8PH