The Council Tax Band Neighbour Check - Step-by-Step
The neighbour-check method is the most commonly recommended first step in a band challenge. It compares your band with comparable nearby properties to identify whether you might be banded too high relative to similar homes.
What Is the Neighbour Check?
The neighbour check involves looking up the council tax bands of properties similar to yours, particularly those in your immediate street or close by. If you find that properties of the same type, size, age, and condition as yours are consistently in a lower band, that is evidence your property may have been placed incorrectly in 1991.
The check is free to perform using the official government service at gov.uk/council-tax-bands or using our postcode lookup tool. You do not need to instruct a surveyor for this initial step.
The neighbour check only gives you an indication, not a definitive answer. You still need to ensure the properties you compare are genuinely similar: same or similar size, same or similar age, same or similar condition, same street or closely comparable location.
How to Do the Neighbour Check
Find your own band
Use our homepage postcode lookup or go to gov.uk/council-tax-bands. Enter your postcode and find your property in the list. Note your current band.
Check nearby properties
Enter the postcodes of adjacent or nearby properties. Focus on properties that are structurally similar: same property type (terrace, semi, flat), similar floor area, built at the same time. The same street is most useful; the next street over is less compelling unless property types are identical.
Compare systematically
Create a simple list: property address, band, approximate size if you know it, notable differences. You are looking for a pattern, not just one anomaly. One property in a different band could be a genuinely different property. A consistent pattern across 5 to 10 similar properties is much stronger evidence.
Assess the finding
If the majority of genuinely comparable properties are in a lower band than yours, you have a potentially viable challenge. If the results are mixed, the case is borderline. If comparable properties are mostly in the same band as yours, the challenge is likely to fail.
Document your findings
Write down each comparable property: address, band, why it is comparable. This becomes the core of your evidence when you contact the VOA. The more specific and structured your comparison, the more seriously the VOA will take it.
What Makes a Valid Comparable?
The VOA will scrutinise your comparables carefully. A valid comparable must be genuinely similar to your property at the 1991 valuation date. The following factors determine comparability:
Property type
Valid: Same type: terrace-to-terrace, semi-to-semi, flat-to-flat
Not valid: Comparing a detached house to a terrace
Floor area
Valid: Similar total floor area within ±15%
Not valid: Property significantly larger or smaller
Location
Valid: Same street or very close, same road type
Not valid: Different area with different demand characteristics
Age
Valid: Built in same era or similar construction period
Not valid: 1930s terrace vs 1990s new-build
Condition
Valid: Similar condition in 1991 (not current condition)
Not valid: One property was extensively renovated pre-1991
Features
Valid: Similar number of bedrooms, bathrooms, garage situation
Not valid: One has large extension added before 1991
The Postcode Tool for Neighbour Checks
Use our postcode lookup to check the bands of properties near you. Our tool currently covers major councils; for comprehensive coverage of all UK postcodes, use the official VOA tool at gov.uk/council-tax-bands.
Use the postcode lookup toolUpdated April 2026. Not legal advice. For complex cases, consult a chartered surveyor with council tax band experience.