Received a business rates notice from an Equita bailiff for business rates. What can you do?

Equita bailiff visit at your door

Equita bailiff enforcement notice.

If you have received a demand notice from Equita bailiffs for arrears on your business rates account, you need to act quickly to mitigate the enforcement fees. Enforcement fees are costly, especially if you owe over £1500, because Equita bailiffs charge you 7.5% above anything over £1500 in business rate arrears.

First, contact Equita Bailiffs.

The first thing you do is contact Equita bailiffs directly and request an affordable payment arrangement. If Equita refuse to oblige the payment plan, and this is all you can afford, ask for the reason why the plan has been denied. Keep a note of what Equita told you.

Contact your council.

Telephone or email your council and demand an affordable payment plan. Explain to your council why you are unable to afford to pay the balance in full. Inform the council about what Equita told you when you ask to spread the payments. If the council inform you that you must deal directly with Equita bailiffs, inform the council that because they refused, the council must accept the arrangement. If the council refuse, tell them that you wish to submit a formal complaint, and request that the account be placed on hold until the complaint is dealt with. If the council refuse, you should contact Steve Adams on 07415048643 to get immediate business rates advice on how to stop the bailiffs.

The business rate debt is in dispute.

If you dispute the billing amounts Equita claim that you owe, then you need to deal directly with the council and not the bailiffs. The council can instruct the bailiff firm to accept an arrangement. But you need to make your complaint clear to mitigate any confusion.

The council won’t listen.

If the council fail to respond to you, or refuse your request, then you need to seek expert advice as soon as possible. Do not delay, seek assistance immediately by getting in touch with Business Rate Advisors who will provide you with free business rates advice on how to deal with the bailiff.

The main number is 01225667747 or visit the website to find out more www.businessratehelp.co.uk

Get the help you need and visit us today for Equita bailiff enforcement notices advice.

Steve @ Business Rate Advisors Ltd

Deleting a commercial property from the rating list. Stop the business rates.

Scaffold for property reconstruction works major

There are a number of reasons why you would want to delete a commercial property from the rating list. Let’s look at some of those reasons.

Under reconstruction. Major reconstruction works verses repair works.

If you are carrying out extensive building works at the property, perhaps to repair the premises into a commercially usable condition, you would not want to be paying business rates whilst carrying out those works. Under these circumstances you would be entitled to make a request to the valuation office agency to delete the property from the rating list. However, the council will keep on billing you for business rates until the property is deleted by the valuation office.

Basic repairs would not be sufficient to delete the property from the commercial rating list, for example painting, decorating, fixing small water leaks, general repairs. The valuation office looks at general and basic repairs as not significant enough to consider the property not fit for its intended purpose. Therefore, the deletion request would be denied.

Major Reconstruction is where the property is undergoing significant roof repairs, a change in structure, demolition of walls etc. The deletion request would be accepted.

Property conversion

When converting a commercial property into something else, perhaps flats or another type of commercial building, you do not have to pay business rates whilst under reconstruction. You are entitled to make a request to delete the property from the rating list.

Property derelict

Derelict property for business rates deletion

If the property is derelict, you do not have to pay business rates. However, it is notoriously difficult to remove a property from the rating list on derelict properties. But why is this the case. Its to do with supplying enough evidence to change the opinion of the valuation officer involved. Evidence being costings to bring the property back to its intended purposes to start with. And the property may be rated at a £1 as opposed to it being deleted off the rating list.

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At Business Rate Advisors Ltd, we can request the deletion of a commercial property from the rating list for you and hold the billing account at the same time.

Speak with Mark Allen or Steve Adams who provide free business rates advice. The main number is 01225667747 or visit the website to find out more www.businessratehelp.co.uk

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We can advise you on your property deletion case.

Until next time.

Steve @ Business Rate Advisors Ltd

Office space. Is it costly from a business rates billing perspective?

Business rates office space photo

In a nutshell, yes. A bit like retail, its expensive, but unlike retail, you will not receive any discounts unless your rateable value is less than £15,000. See tapered rateable values and small rates relief chart over at our website.

If you have two or more properties, then you will not receive any small business rates relief in the majority of cases.

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But why is office space so expensive for business rates. It is because the valuation office deems it to be prime real estate that often commands higher rents. This is not true in its entirety, but this is what they do.

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Is it worth appealing the office space business rate costs?

In many cases no, it is not worth appealing. But this is not the case for all office space properties. And it may well be worth getting a free business rates review from Business Rate Advisors. This would assist you in determining whether you have a good chance of reducing your business rates and winning your challenge case.

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Can I split office space to reduce costs?

Yes, so long as the tenants have their own access point and exclusivity of their property. This is one effective way of lowering costs, but keep in mind that the occupiers should be separate companies or sole traders.

Pick up the phone or send us an email if you would like a free business rate review of your commercial office space.

Speak with Mark Allen or Steve Adams by visiting the website www.businessratehelp.co.uk

See you soon.

Steve @ Business Rate Advisors Ltd

Landline 01225667747