Martin Lewis Warns Millions Could Be Owed Cash Thanks to Outdated Council Tax Blunder

Martin Lewis has sounded the alarm over a council tax issue that could mean households in England and Scotland are due thousands in back payments, going all the way back to 1993.

In one of his latest updates, the Money Saving Expert explained how the current council tax system is based on a seriously flawed and outdated property valuation process. It’s been in place since 1993 and affects what people pay depending on the tax band their property falls into, from A through to D. But the way these bands were originally assigned? That’s where things get questionable, reported the Cambridge News.

Posting on Instagram, Lewis highlighted just how dodgy the original assessments were. “It really is quite unbelievable that if you live in England and Scotland, the council tax band you are in today is still dictated by a stop-gap, drive-by valuation done back in 1991 that was only meant to last a couple of years.”

And he really meant “drive-by.” He went on to say: “And when I say drive-by, I literally mean a couple of estate agents in a car often, with a clipboard in second gear going ‘Band C, Band D, Band E…’.”

The shocking part is that up to 400,000 homes might have been wrongly banded all these years. If you’re in one of them, not only could you be overpaying now, but you could also be owed money going back to when you moved in – or even as far back as 1993, reports Birmingham Live.

He encouraged people to check their council tax band and compare it with similar properties on their street or in their building. “You need to follow my full step-by-step check and challenge process that I go through in detail in the podcast,” he advised, warning people not to rush into it.

Because while the potential refund could be a nice windfall, it’s not without risks. “Don’t just do it speculatively because if you get it wrong, they could put your band up – or even your neighbour’s band up,” Lewis said.

So what’s the first step? It’s as simple as comparing your band with that of your neighbours. But don’t just pick any property. You need to check one that’s roughly the same size and style. If it turns out theirs is in a lower band and your homes are basically identical, it’s likely someone is paying too much.

You can use the government’s website – gov.uk – to look up your band and your neighbour’s. From there, you can also check the valuation band ranges to see where your home should sit based on what it would’ve been worth in 1991.

If it looks off, then it might be time to challenge it – but do so carefully, following Martin’s guide to avoid any costly mistakes. The chance to claw back potentially thousands is real, but it needs to be done properly.

It’s definitely worth a check – especially if you’ve ever wondered whether your council tax feels a bit too high for what you’re getting.

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