HOME REVALUATION

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Homeowners, already facing higher council tax bills for carrying out house improvements or living in a desirable neighbourhood, will now also be stung because of the size of their garden. Ministers have confirmed that the Valuation Office Agency has signed a legal agreement with the Land Registry, which will give it access to Britain’s biggest land database. From October, the size of every garden, patio and outbuilding will be electronically submitted to the agency every time a house is sold.

Proposals are also being drawn up to make land registration compulsory, even if a property is not sold. Critics fear the plans will turn England into a "concrete jungle" with people filling in their gardens to avoid being penalised or selling off their green spaces in lucrative flat development deals. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the agency's plans to detail any "value significant" garden features.

These include larger than average gardens, patios, leisure facilities, outbuildings, greenhouses and potting sheds. Local government minister Bridget Prentice said the information would then be used in "underpinning the revaluation of properties". It means homeowners with such "significant" features could find themselves placed in a higher council tax band, with much higher bills to match.

Homeowners living in an average band D property would pay an extra £293 a year if their home and garden was pushed up just one band under revaluation. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said, "Well-kept gardens improve our neighbourhoods so people should not be penalised for having them. This garden tax risks turning our local areas into urban jungles. It is ridiculous." (Source: Daily Express, Apr/07)

Government documents have revealed that homeowners face a massive increase in council tax if their houses simply enjoy 'peace and quiet'. Houses in sought-after areas with a ' pleasant view' or 'good security' will be targeted by the army of valuation inspectors. An official handbook shows what assessors are likely to look for when a new system is introduced. New kitchens, conservatories, central heating and gardens will also be assessed. The scheme could see homeowners in prosperous areas with good schools, low crime rates and clean streets pay far more than those with similar, or even larger, properties in more rundown locations.

Ministers have consistently denied that they want to cash in on steadily climbing house prices, and claim that voters would refuse to tolerate a new form of wealth tax but the Valuation Office Agency was forced to publish the circulars it used to brief staff on a controversial council tax revaluation in Wales in 2005. The documents list the features which should be assessed under a scheme due to be extended shortly to all 21million homes in England. For those living in desirable areas, inspectors are told that the features which 'generally add value' are 'convenience of public transport facilities, peace and quiet, shop providing nearby basic groceries, pleasant views, good security'.

Inspectors of the VOA were instructed to take photographs of the home and record the 'convenience to local services, such as shops, bus routes, local communities'. The documents also confirm that inspectors were instructed to record home improvements such as a new kitchen, double glazing and central heating, as well as 'special benefits' such as an 'enclosed garden, patio, and conservatory'. The move could prove particularly onerous for elderly homeowners on low incomes who have seen their property value rocket as their neighbourhood improves around them.

The documents also show that the information could be used to bump up properties from one tax band into the next by inflating the taxable value of a house. Tory local government spokesman Caroline Spelman said, "It is deeply worrying that householders had to fill in intrusive questionnaires about every aspect of their property, with the veiled threat of a compulsory inspection of their private home if they resisted. The only reason the tax inspectors want this information is to tax home improvements, even though people have already paid income tax and VAT to pay for doing up their home." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Feb/07)

New figures reveal a thousand homes a month are being revalued by stealth, despite government claims that council tax revaluation has been postponed until after the next election. Inspectors have been ordered to check for new features such as patios, extensions and double glazing. And last year more than 12,000 dwellings were moved up a council tax band to reflect a “material increase” in their value following home improvements, with owners typically facing council tax rises of around £300 a year. No homes appear to have had bills reduced as a result of the checks.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance said the figures “let the cat out of the bag” about the Government’s plans for revaluation. Spokesman Corin Taylor said, “We should not be fooled by politicians who pretend revaluation won’t result in higher taxes. Their own figures show otherwise. Councils are spending and wasting too much of our money and they should not be allowed to get away with charging ever higher council taxes.” The Government insists the figures reflect normal practice, with homes revalued for council tax purposes every time they are sold. If significant home improvements have been carried out then a property may be moved up a band. (Source: Sunday Express, May/07)

People wanting to improve their homes will be hit by a £1,000 “tax” under new laws which will mean them having to get planning permission. Restrictions are now proposed for loft and roof extensions, raised terraces, balconies, verandas or decking including railings, and outsized clear-glass windows. There could be delays of as much as 16 weeks to get approval and the building industry believes this will force 95% of improvements into the planning application maze.

Ruth Kelly, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, heralded the proposed rules as a way to make home improvement easier but small-print regulations showed that householders would now find it more complex, time-consuming and costly to carry out some renovations. Two weeks previously she unveiled the biggest shake-up of planning rules for 20 years, promising to cut red tape for householders who want to install green technology such as solar panels as well as scrapping the need to get permission for developments with little or no impact on neighbours.

Details published alongside it by Housing Minister Yvette Cooper showed that ministers also want to scrap the current rule which lets people add space to their homes without planning permission if the extension is within a certain size. However, a spokesperson for the Department for Communities and Local Government said the new rules would still allow many extensions to go ahead without a planning application but with “clearer safeguards against any development that might be an eyesore or lead to disputes between neighbours”. (Source: Daily Express, Jun/07)

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