We provide a comprehensive rating service on all classes of property throughout the UK mainland and the various facets of this service are set out in summary form below.
Our philosophy is to form a long term partnership with our clients by providing the highest levels of service at competitive fee levels; being innovative; being responsive; thinking laterally, and by these methods minimising costs and maximising returns. We tailor our services to the demands of the individual Client and to the requirements of the instruction. We are intensive users of I.T. and will use our in-house skills to apply existing resources or if necessary design bespoke I.T. solutions to our Clients’ requirements.
Specifically, our services encompass the following activities and areas:
- As appropriate, inspecting, re-inspecting and measuring properties
- Preparing initial valuations
- Advising on whether appeals should be lodged
- Lodging of formal appeals
- Negotiating with Valuation Officers at both local and central levels
- Presenting cases at Valuation Tribunals, where required
- Presenting cases at the Lands Tribunal, where required
- Advising on splits and mergers of rating assessments to maximise empty rates reliefs
- Acting on Changes of use and Material Changes in the market or locality
- Providing strategies for phased occupation and phased vacation of buildings
- Advising on and making applications for discretionary relief for temporarily part-vacant premises
- Advising on methods of maximising transitional rate relief and minimising transitional rate costs
- Obtaining Certificates for Transitional Purposes and utilising other procedural tools to maximise rate savings and minimise costs, including applications to the High Court, where necessary
- Preparing rates budgets
- Preparation and maintenance of a property database, where appropriate
- Checking of rates bills as and when required
- Pursuing rates refunds
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of your business rates, please do not hesitate to contact either Ian Charman or Charlie Hill in the first instance who will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.