The Challenge

• We were engaged to negotiate and reduce rateable value assessments in respect of properties within the client’s portfolio across the Country to ensure the rates liability was kept to a minimum.
• The client had taken ownership of an office building in Warrington. The property had been subject to a landlord strip out and subsequently tenant fit out.
• Business rates in respect of the property represented a significant occupational cost which the client needed to extinguish during the course of the works.
• As the works were undertaken in 2 stages there was a challenge to reduce the assessment to RV£0 during the works given the VOA’s interpretation of case law.
• Given the date of the works, the assessments in both the 2010 and 2017 Rating Lists were impacted.
• We have an excellent track record of success in this area and as a national client whom we have represented for a number of Rating Lists and for numerous service lines we were instructed to advise in respect of this matter.

Our Solution

• A detailed submission was made on behalf of the client to the VOA setting out grounds for the desired outcome together with supporting documentation including detailed and costed scheme of works, Gantt chart and photographic evidence.
• We challenged the VOA in relation to their interpretation of case law in respect of this particular area of rating in order to achieve the aim of reducing the assessment to RV£0.

The Results

• Extensive discussions with the VOA led to the assessment of the property being reduced from RV£690,000 to RV£0 in the 2010 Rating List and RV£620,000 to RV£0 in the 2017 Rating List leading to savings in excess of £350,000.
• We are instructed to advise the client in respect of the national portfolio on the 2017 Rating List.