All dwellings have to pay Council Tax including mobile homes and houseboats. The amount of tax you pay depends on the band your home has been placed in by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
The band is set by the VOA on the basis of its value as at 1st April 1991.
New properties are also valued based upon this date and the VOA looks at information about values of similar properties which existed on that date in order to make a comparison.

There are eight bands with corresponding values:

Band A - up to £40,000
Band B - £40,001 to £52,000
Band C - £52,001 to £68,000
Band D - £68,001 to £88,000
Band E - £88,001 to £120,000
Band F - £120,001 to £160,000
Band G - £160,001 to £320,000
Band H - £320,001 and above

The banding of your property is shown on the front of your bill.

Click here for the 2012-13 Council Tax rates

Click here for a list of the 2011-2012 Council Tax rates.

You can check the band of a property on the Valuation Office website. 

Appeals

If you think your Council Tax band is wrong you can appeal by contacting the local Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which is responsible for ensuring your property is in the correct band. You can write to them at

The Valuation Office Agency
34 Southway
Colchester
Essex
CO2 7BB

or telephone them on

03000 505 900

Please remember to continue making payments until Braintree Council inform you otherwise. If your appeal is successful and you overpay, you will be entitled to a refund.

Newly built properties

If you move into a newly built property there may be a delay before the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) allocate the band.
Until the council has been notified of the band we are unable to calculate the Council Tax charge due. To avoid having to pay a large bill later in the year, we offer you the facility to pay on an estimated band. We can send you a form or you can tell us what band you think your property may fall into. We will calculate the charge and send you a bill.

Once we receive notification from the VOA of the actual band we will re-calculate your bill. Please be aware it may be higher than the band you estimated.