UK households handed £2,171 council tax discount after asking neighbours 'one question'

A simple question to ask your neighbour that can slash your council tax by THOUSANDS has been revealed. The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2024-25 will be £2,171, which is an increase of £106 or 5.1% on the 2023-24 figure of £2,065.

This includes all precepts including adult social care and parish precepts. But households can challenge their council tax bands and potentially save thousands of pounds. Government figures reveal that in the last financial year, over 27% of households who attempted to change their band succeeded.

Martyn James, consumer rights expert, says: "Getting on with your neighbours is not only good for your lifestyle, it can save you a fortune. If you live in a similar sized property, have a casual chat with next door about what council tax band they are on.

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"If you've been put on the wrong band, then not only could you reduce the bill, you could claim for overpayments going back decades But make sure you check the bands online too - you don't want to be responsible for your street paying more."

Money Saving Expert warned: "Challenging your band is not something to do speculatively without the checks, for one simple reason: You can't just ask for your band to be lowered – only for a 'reassessment', which means it could be moved up or down.

"It's even possible that your neighbours' band could be increased, although this is rare. This is why it is crucially important you do BOTH of the checks, and to be especially careful if you've added an extension or something that increases your property's value.

"In terms of you being eligible for a reduction, by far the most important check is the Neighbours Check, yet the secondary Valuation Check is useful for seeing whether your band is too high or your neighbours' band is too low."