Rate Review companies

[Duke Fame]

We've had a couple of people offering to review our rating valuation so we don't have to pay the theiving leaching no good local council rates.

I'm all for reducing the amount I have to pay to the organisation for employing the willing unemployable but are these rate review companies worth entertaining. I've dismissed the offer from one surveyor who wanted an up front fee of £1100 however, thre is a no win no fee company who seems too good to be true.

Has anyone had dealings and has anyone had their money back?

 

[MikeD08]

We've had a couple of people offering to review our rating valuation so we don't have to pay the theiving leaching no good local council rates.

I'm all for reducing the amount I have to pay to the organisation for employing the willing unemployable but are these rate review companies worth entertaining. I've dismissed the offer from one surveyor who wanted an up front fee of £1100 however, thre is a no win no fee company who seems too good to be true.

Has anyone had dealings and has anyone had their money back?

Not me, but I used to work for a Ratings Company - Coupers Partnership. Coupers work on a no win-no fee basis with no upfront payments. Alot of businesses in this industry will ask for a deposit of upfront payment.

The success rate is varied but at the end of the day, if no reduction is forthcoming or an appeal is unlikely to be successful Coupers would inform you and drop the case = no payment.

If they are successful they charge 50% of the savings for the rating period.

 

[Duke Fame]

If they are successful they charge 50% of the savings for the rating period.

That corresponds with the fees charged by the surveyours I';ve met with.

 

[TotallySport]

you can do it yourself for free, ring the council ask for a form, fill it in and send it off, its not complicated, but if the rents and rates have gone up in your area there is a change you will get your rates increased and not degreased.

We did ours a few years ago after getting the calls, was very simple and didn't take any time or cost us anything.

<edit>sorry it got ressurected by a spammer before I relaised the date</edit>

 

[Testimony]

Totally Sports response suggests that it is a lottery.

It isn't. Even if one of the "White Knight" companies begins enquiring, it can open an upward revaluation, after they have slinked back under their stone.

The rules are these.

1. If owned premises ask the local council for a printout of the NAV (ie it will contain the last inspection dates)

2. If rented premises demand a copy od same from the letting agents

3. Speak to neighbours about what the occupancy levels were at date of NAV and today. ie ascertain if the neighbourhood has increased or been on the decline.

4. If its an upcoming neighbourhood, shut up and say nothing

5. If it is suffering degenration due to demographics or wider economic decline, then ask for a revamp of the NAV. that is all the "Champion claims companies actually do"

There is no point in paying consultants 50% of any rates savings for something that you can do in an afternoon.

Additionally, even before going to the hassle , make sure from your local council they have you tagged under their abatement scheme. e.g. a 200SqFt unit chippy which is retail has more abatement than a 2000SqFt car showroom next door.

Additionally, there is a postcode lottery. If your business is on a corner unit, there can be big differences in the NAV due to your location.

Bottom line advice. Do it yourself,, don't outsource this function as it is your right to claim.

 

[TotallySport]

Nothing in my posts suggests its a lottory, it simply points out that it can go up as well as down, and you need to be aware of that before you jump in.

 

[Dudereenio]

One successful appeal, does not an expert make.

There are so many more mitigating factors than just the "NAV's" and dilapidation or regeneration of certain areas. In no way shape or form is the Rating process a postcode lottery. You make little mention of the fact that current Rateable Values are based in part on the rental values of the property Two years prior to the start of the current rating list when rental prices were at a premium. Please advise against giving out potentially mis-leading information as this may either encourage or discourage company's from appealing. With the appropriate research(which is readily available for free on certain websites) it is relatively straightforward to determine if an appeal is applicable

 

[Dudereenio]

No reputable ratings agency would request an up-front fee. As an ex-employee of Coupers myself ,we both know that Coupers will pursue all appeals to their conclusion as they have neither the time or manpower to look at every property at length. As for them dropping the appeals if they believe that is is not in the best interests of the clients to proceed, once again we both know that by the time Coupers has had time to look at the case, it has already been allocated a SPID(Sub Programme I D) by the Valuation Office who will in turn allocate one of their Surveyors to inspect the property and if by any chance the physical areas of the property have been under assessed, the VOA are quite within their rights to impose an increase(in some cases this will be backdated)
Are you sure you're an ex-employee??? Sounds to me that you're still employed by them and touting for business otherwise please make people aware of the potential pitfalls