A homeowner has revealed how he reclaimed more than £7,600 in council tax after following Money Saving Expert’s advice to check whether his property had been placed in the wrong council tax band. John Kennett recovered £7,602.71 after successfully challenging the council tax band on his flat in Richmond upon Thames, with the refund covering around 18 years of overpayments. Hundreds of thousands of homes across England and Scotland are thought to be in the wrong council tax band, meaning some households could be paying more than they should.
John said he only decided to question his council tax bill after reading guidance from MoneySavingExpert.com and its founder Martin Lewis on how to challenge a property’s band. Writing to Martin Lewis, he said: “Firstly, thank you. Without your advice and the guidance on the MoneySavingExpert website, I would never have challenged the council tax banding of my flat in Richmond upon Thames.”
Although his challenge was eventually successful, John said the process took almost a year and highlighted what he believed were shortcomings in the way his case was handled.
He wrote: “I thought you might find the story interesting because I suspect many people who successfully challenge their council tax band assume that once they win, everything else will simply fall into place. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.”
John said he submitted his application through the Valuation Office Agency’s online service before waiting months without receiving an update. He said: “I then heard absolutely nothing for around nine months.”
After contacting the VOA, John said a customer service adviser reviewed his evidence, agreed he appeared to have a strong case and resubmitted it for formal consideration. Around two months later, the agency reduced his property to what he said was the correct council tax band.
Richmond Council later accepted he had overpaid £7,602.71 over approximately 18 years, but John said not all of the money was initially refunded to him.
He wrote: “Instead of refunding the full amount, however, the Council refunded only £4,564.14.”
John said the remaining £3,038.57 was credited to his 2026/27 council tax account without him being consulted, while his monthly Direct Debit was also cancelled.
Explaining why this frustrated him, he said: “I have always paid my council tax by monthly Direct Debit and intended to continue doing so. Had the Council simply asked me, I would have requested that the full refund be paid directly into my bank account.”
After questioning the decision and making a formal complaint, John said the situation was eventually resolved.
Shortly after MoneySavingExpert contacted both Richmond Council and the Valuation Office Agency about the case, he received almost all of the remaining money he was owed. His Direct Debit was reinstated and the balance that remained was used to pay several months of council tax.
John said he only realised there was a problem because he checked the figures himself rather than assuming everything was correct.
He said: “I carefully reconciled the figures against the Council’s own refund letter. It also occurred to me that many people probably wouldn’t have spotted this. I suspect most taxpayers would assume that the Council’s calculations were correct and would never realise that part of their refund had been retained.”
Despite the lengthy process, John said he would still encourage anyone who believes they may be paying too much council tax to check whether their property is in the correct band.
He wrote: “The irony is that your advice worked perfectly. I would encourage anyone who believes they may be in the wrong council tax band to follow the guidance on MSE because it genuinely can save thousands of pounds.”
He also urged people who successfully challenge their council tax band to make sure they receive the full amount they are owed.
John said: “If your council tax band is corrected and you become entitled to a substantial refund, don’t simply check the amount. Check that your council has actually refunded all of the money due and has not unilaterally credited your account or altered your payment arrangements without your agreement.”
A spokesperson for Richmond Council said: “We always encourage residents to contact the council tax Team directly if they have any concerns about their account, so the matter can be reviewed and resolved as quickly as possible. While we cannot comment on the specifics of individual council tax accounts for privacy reasons, we are actively working to resolve this case with the resident.”
A spokesperson for the Valuation Office Agency said: “We apologise to Mr Kennett and can confirm we’ve since updated our processes to improve our service and help prevent this from happening again.”