FAQs

The owner (the person entitled to possession) of a property is liable to pay 100% of the basic occupied business rates. Rates will not be payable for the first three months that a property is empty. This period is extended to six months for qualifying industrial properties.

Section 44(a) Rate Relief is a temporary relief which may be awarded to business ratepayers who are only using part of their premises and the remaining unoccupied area is completely unused.

You will receive a rate demand from the appropriate billing authority around 1 March each year. Normally you will be able to pay in 12 equal monthly instalments. Business rates are payable by the occupier of the property. If you are a tenant, the lease will sometimes state that your rent is inclusive of rates. In this case the landlord takes responsibility for the payments.

Please give our Rating Team a Call on 0113 2053144 or click here for our Call Back service to set up an appointment to discuss your requirements. Once we have your instructions to proceed, a Rating Appeal will be lodged on your behalf with the Valuation Office Agency and we will notify you when the appeal has been acknowledged and is confirmed as a valid appeal. We will keep in regular communication with you throughout the life of the appeal and we can provide various reporting formats for multiple site clients at a frequency of their own choosing. Please note that it typically takes about 12-18 months from when the appeal is first lodged to be concluded with the Valuation Office, so we advise clients to contact us at the earliest opportunity.

In simple terms, we use our experience and knowledge of the rating system to mitigate your rate liabilities. Our surveyors are at the forefront of business rate challenges, working hard to keep you informed and maximise your saving potential through effective rates advice. We offer a complete ‘no win no fee’ service (excluding tribunal hearings) with no upfront charges, a clear demonstration of our confidence in the field. Not only do we advise clients on traditional accommodation such as Offices, Industrial and Retail premises, we also have specialist experience in Education including Universities, Colleges, Schools and Daycare Nurseries; Healthcare including Doctors Surgeries, Health Authorities and Private Clinics; Roadside properties including Car Showrooms, Workshops, Trade Counters and Showrooms; Factories, Mills and Distribution Warehouses; and Hotels, Clubs, Restaurants and other Leisure properties.

We are also able to provide strategies to minimise rate liability if a property is empty, only partially occupied or is adversely affected by external factors such as major building works, roadwork’s and new competition in the locality.

Since Business rates are based on the Valuation Office’s estimate of the annual rental of a property, the calculation of them is often open to challenge. Our Business Rates team based throughout the UK consists of professionally qualified Chartered Surveyors who have a vast knowledge and experience in managing the complexities of the rating system. We have a long history of successfully achieving reductions for our clients who have remained with us since the 1973 rating revaluation.

Business rates are calculated by multiplying the ‘Rateable Value’ of a property by the uniform business rate (UBR). The ‘rateable value’ is the Valuation Office’s estimate of a property’s market rent at a set valuation date. We are currently in the 2010 Rating List with rateable values being based on a valuation date of 1st April 2008. Please note that increases (or decreases) in business rates may be phased in over a period and the actual amount payable could be higher or lower than the simple multiplication process, this is known as Transitional Relief.

Business rates are calculated according to the rental value of the property a company uses. They date back to the Poor Law established in 1601. Every business has to pay business rates when they are in the occupation or part occupation of a commercial property including all factories, offices and shops throughout England, Scotland and Wales and set by the Valuation Office Agency or Assessors in Scotland. Revaluations were historically undertaken at five yearly intervals when invariably new legislation and procedures are introduced – however we are now on a seven-year cycle. The payment of rates on commercial property represents one of the largest overheads for businesses and substantially impact on the profitability of many organisations.