Why your 2026 council tax bill is based on a 1991 estimate

When the poll tax collapsed and council tax replaced it in 1993, the government had a problem: there wasn't time to value every property in the country individually.

The solution was to use estate agents. Surveyors drove down streets, looked at properties from the outside, and made bulk assignments. Whole streets were often given the same band based on a glance and a guess at the 1991 market value.

Three decades later those bulk decisions still drive your bill. Some were broadly right. A meaningful minority — estimated at around 400,000 — were not. The valuations have never been redone in England, which means errors compound year after year.

There are two pieces of good news. First, the VOA accepts challenges and will fix mistakes. Second, you don't need a 1991 time machine — comparable evidence from neighbouring properties is sufficient.