Business Rates
Discussion
Had a visit today from a surveyor who claims to be able to get a reduction in our business rates, both for this year, back-dateable three years and going forward as well. All from a cold-call last week where the numpty on the phone had the wrong company name, wrong address, wrong postcode ...
All this for a one off fee of £600 + VAT +20% of the first years savings... The "surveyor" reckons on a yearly saving of c£1500 - £1800. and they "guarantee" a refund if the appeal is not accepted by the District Valuer. To be fair the "surveyor" didn't push it at all, so he wasn't interested in a hard sell
The company website is not live at the moment (surprised??), but I was wondering if anyone had used one of the services in the past or if this is a bit of a scam.... Gut instinct says its probably OK, but .......
All this for a one off fee of £600 + VAT +20% of the first years savings... The "surveyor" reckons on a yearly saving of c£1500 - £1800. and they "guarantee" a refund if the appeal is not accepted by the District Valuer. To be fair the "surveyor" didn't push it at all, so he wasn't interested in a hard sell
The company website is not live at the moment (surprised??), but I was wondering if anyone had used one of the services in the past or if this is a bit of a scam.... Gut instinct says its probably OK, but .......
I've met someone who did this for a living, quite some time ago.
I'd ask to see on what grounds they think they can reduce your rates, etc.. Maybe ask for a reduction in their fees or one off fee lowering? At the end of the day though, the more then can reduce your rates the more they earn!
I'd ask to see on what grounds they think they can reduce your rates, etc.. Maybe ask for a reduction in their fees or one off fee lowering? At the end of the day though, the more then can reduce your rates the more they earn!
mondeoman said:
Had a visit today from a surveyor who claims to be able to get a reduction in our business rates, both for this year, back-dateable three years and going forward as well. All from a cold-call last week where the numpty on the phone had the wrong company name, wrong address, wrong postcode ...
All this for a one off fee of £600 + VAT +20% of the first years savings... The "surveyor" reckons on a yearly saving of c£1500 - £1800. and they "guarantee" a refund if the appeal is not accepted by the District Valuer. To be fair the "surveyor" didn't push it at all, so he wasn't interested in a hard sell
The company website is not live at the moment (surprised??), but I was wondering if anyone had used one of the services in the past or if this is a bit of a scam.... Gut instinct says its probably OK, but .......
I did this for a living a while back (but mainly in the City - looking at loopholes in legislation to claw money back). All this for a one off fee of £600 + VAT +20% of the first years savings... The "surveyor" reckons on a yearly saving of c£1500 - £1800. and they "guarantee" a refund if the appeal is not accepted by the District Valuer. To be fair the "surveyor" didn't push it at all, so he wasn't interested in a hard sell
The company website is not live at the moment (surprised??), but I was wondering if anyone had used one of the services in the past or if this is a bit of a scam.... Gut instinct says its probably OK, but .......
DON'T pay a one off or upfront fee - anyone worth their salt will no charge this! All he is doing for this fee is entering an appeal online - no work at all (you can do it yourself on voa.gov.uk) and you'll find he'll dissapear if the appeal isnt an easy win. You can then not appeal your assessment again until 2010.
20% of first year's savings sounds high as well (FFS make sure it isnt 20% of ALL savings), but not *that* bad I suppose.
Have a look online at your rating assessment - you can see if anything nearby has been appealed successfully.
If they have been appealed but not changed then the value is set and you'd be hard pushed to get a reduction. If some nearby units have been appealed and not yet heard, then you could contact the company who has served the appeals and try and piggyback their case.
mondeoman said:
Cheers chaps
I'll have a check at the online review - could save a few pennies!!
One thing to remember - if you serve an appeal you only get 1 chance, so if you cock it up then you cant reappeal the result. This is where using someone who knows the ins and outs of the system can be better (but more expensive).I'll have a check at the online review - could save a few pennies!!
t. Tell him you will pay after he gets you the reduction...DonnyMac said:
I was of the understanding that *residential* rate appeals could go either way - they can be put up as well as go down/stay the same after the appeal.
Have no idea if this applies to business rates - may be worth checking just in case.
Yes they can go up if they are deemed to be 'incorrect'. Have no idea if this applies to business rates - may be worth checking just in case.
I do this for a living! A lot of firms will not charge an upfront fee, and will work solely on savings. As has been mentioned earlier in the thread you only get one chance at appealling on general grounds so if that ground has not been used already they are guaranteed to submit a successful proposal and you will not get your money back! The guarantee only covers you if the VO rejects the appeal because its invalid, it won't payout if they get no guarantee!
If you want to PM me with your address and postcode I'll have a look at the software we use to advise you whether an appeal is likely to succeed. If you tell me who the company is I may also comment on them too!
If you want to PM me with your address and postcode I'll have a look at the software we use to advise you whether an appeal is likely to succeed. If you tell me who the company is I may also comment on them too!
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