Flats or Houses to rent or buy in the London Borough of Barnet

For specific information on this borough, or to contact individual departments please click here to visit their website.

London Borough of Barnet: http://www.barnet.gov.uk

In General:
The London boroughs are administrative centres responsible for collecting local taxes (Council Tax and Business Rates) and then spending the funds received on local services. They are run by Borough Councils who are elected by borough residents on a four year cycle. The totals that they spend will depend on the rates of tax that they levy plus funds allocated from central government and other sources.

While many of the services (schools, roads, planning, rubbish collection and social services) are standard, levels of provision will vary according to the overall political will as expressed by the voters.

Your tax liability (as a resident) will be based on the council tax band of your home. These bands are set by Valuation Officers and there is scope for appeal. The rate bands are then used to determine the amounts of tax levied. So, while the bands will remain largely constant the levels of tax can go up and, in theory, down.

You may claim discounts or exemptions based on your circumstances. For example, as the only adult in a property you can get a 25% reduction on your bill. Other reductions are available for qualifying second adults and Council Tax Benefit claimants.

There is more information available at the HM Customs & Excise website.

Middle class and prosperous, Barnet grew up around the Northern line tube in the early years of this century. Good schools and plentiful green open spaces attract wealthy families and leave little opportunity for the bargain home hunter. Although suburban in character, Barnet boasts a cultural edge with many distinctive and religious communities including London's most established Jewish settlement in Golders Green. Despite the heavy traffic on its main roads and the dubious privilege of housing the start of the M1, Barnet is a very pleasant, quiet place to live. Its residents are well-off middle-class professionals and families, ranging from the very wealthy in Hampstead Garden Suburb and Golders Green, to the more down to earth in Edgware and West Hendon.