What can I do if I disagree with the rateable value for my business property?
Setting the rateable value for a commercial property is the responsibility of the valuation office agency, an independent body. If you require further information on appeals against your rateable value you should contact:
The Listing Officer
Valuation Office Agency
Blackburn House
Old Hall Street
Hanley
Stoke on Trent
ST1 3BS
Telephone: 03000 505700 or 03000 501501
You can also lodge an appeal online at the valuation office agency's website http://www.voa.gov.uk/
Appeal business rates liability
If you are not satisfied with any decision we have made about your business rates liability (except for the multiplier or rateable value), you have the right to appeal.
If you do not agree with our decision you must make your appeal in writing to us.
You must state your name and address, the property address(es) to which your appeal relates, the decision you are unsatisfied with and why you feel this decision is incorrect.
If we need further information from you we will write to you about this.
We will consider your appeal and tell you of our decision as soon as possible. If we agree with your appeal we will amend your business rates account and send you a revised business rates bill. If we uphold our decision we will write and tell you why.
If you still believe our decision to be wrong and the Council has started court proceedings against you for non-payment of Business Rates and seeks a Liability Order against you, you must attend court. The Magistrates will then decide whether or not you are liable to pay all, part or none of the charges for which the Council has charged you. If you do not attend court, the Magistrates will find in favour of the Council.
For business rates enquiries please contact us:
Write to us: Revenues Team, PO Box 8045, Burton upon Trent, DE14 9JG
If you choose to appoint an agent, you should be aware that there are a number of fraudulent Council Tax and business rates agents operating around the country. Someone may telephone you or appear at your door claiming to be able to reduce your Council Tax or business rates bill.
There are a number of tactics that fraudulent agents may use to get you to part with your money.
Types of scams that fraudulent agents may use
A fraudulent agent may:
insist you’re definitely in the wrong Council Tax band and are owed back payments on your Council Tax bill, when in fact your band is correct
say they’re from the local council or Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and ask for your bank details so they can provide a refund, then steal money from the bank account
say they’re from the VOA and ask you to pay for an inspection – the VOA won’t charge you for any Council Tax or business rates services
claim that the VOA charges you to challenge your Council Tax band - this is not correct as you can do this for free
claim that taxpayers must, by law, be represented by an agent to challenge their band, when in fact anyone can do this
state that they’re on an approved list of agents recognised by the VOA, when in fact the VOA does not keep any such list
tell you they have submitted an appeal to the VOA on your behalf and give you a forged acknowledgment notice when in fact they haven’t submitted an appeal
quote the Billing Authority (BA) reference for your property – this is public information and can be found using the online service
tell you that they have been successful in having your Coucil Tax band reviewed and provide a forged confirmation email stating the amount of refund due. The VOA does not calculate payments or refunds and if a refund were due, your local council would contact you direct about this
contact a cold caller’s head office to check that they’re legitimate (make sure that your last call has ended properly and you have a dial tone before redialing the number)
contact the council or the VOA if you receive a call offering to reduce your band or rateable value, to check their story
inform the police if you believe that anyone is impersonating staff from your local council or the VOA
dial 999 if a doorstep cold caller refuses to leave your home
let anyone into your home without seeing appropriate identification
feel under pressure from a cold caller to pay an immediate up-front fee - take the time you need to think about it
accept cold callers’ claims about your band or rateable value without seeing evidence or proof of what they’re claiming
deal with anyone that is reluctant to give you their company address or contact details
What to do if you think your Council Tax band or rateable value is wrong
If you think the Council Tax band for your home is wrong, then all you have to do is contact the VOA and explain why you think it’s incorrect. We’ll ask you to confirm that the details we hold about your home are correct. We’ll listen to your views and if, following a review, we agree that your band is wrong, we’ll change it. Please note that bands can occasionally go up as well as down.
If you think the rateable value for your business (non-domestic) property is wrong, then you can use the online service to tell us. We’ll ask you to confirm the details that we hold about your property. Please note that your rateable value could go up as well as down.
What can I do if I disagree with the rateable value for my business property?
Setting the rateable value for a commercial property is the responsibility of the valuation office agency, an independent body. If you require further information on appeals against your rateable value you should contact:
The Listing Officer
Valuation Office Agency
Blackburn House
Old Hall Street
Hanley
Stoke on Trent
ST1 3BS
Telephone: 03000 505700 or 03000 501501
You can also lodge an appeal online at the valuation office agency's website http://www.voa.gov.uk/
Appeal business rates liability
If you are not satisfied with any decision we have made about your business rates liability (except for the multiplier or rateable value), you have the right to appeal.
If you do not agree with our decision you must make your appeal in writing to us.
You must state your name and address, the property address(es) to which your appeal relates, the decision you are unsatisfied with and why you feel this decision is incorrect.
If we need further information from you we will write to you about this.
We will consider your appeal and tell you of our decision as soon as possible. If we agree with your appeal we will amend your business rates account and send you a revised business rates bill. If we uphold our decision we will write and tell you why.
If you still believe our decision to be wrong and the Council has started court proceedings against you for non-payment of Business Rates and seeks a Liability Order against you, you must attend court. The Magistrates will then decide whether or not you are liable to pay all, part or none of the charges for which the Council has charged you. If you do not attend court, the Magistrates will find in favour of the Council.
For business rates enquiries please contact us:
Write to us: Revenues Team, PO Box 8045, Burton upon Trent, DE14 9JG
Email: nndr@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
Telephone: (01283) 508416; 508417; 508418
In person: please visit one of our Customer Services Centres at either the Market Place, Burton upon Trent; or the Library, Uttoxeter.
Council Tax and business rates scams
How to identify Council Tax and business rates scams and what you can do to avoid them.
Contents
You can challenge your Council Tax band or find and check your business rates for free. You may choose to appoint an agent to carry out this work on your behalf.
If you choose to appoint an agent, you should be aware that there are a number of fraudulent Council Tax and business rates agents operating around the country. Someone may telephone you or appear at your door claiming to be able to reduce your Council Tax or business rates bill.
You can find out how to avoid and report internet scams and phishing.
How to identify a fraudulent agent
There are a number of tactics that fraudulent agents may use to get you to part with your money.
Types of scams that fraudulent agents may use
A fraudulent agent may:
How to avoid falling victim to these scams
You should:
You shouldn’t:
What to do if you think your Council Tax band or rateable value is wrong
If you think the Council Tax band for your home is wrong, then all you have to do is contact the VOA and explain why you think it’s incorrect. We’ll ask you to confirm that the details we hold about your home are correct. We’ll listen to your views and if, following a review, we agree that your band is wrong, we’ll change it. Please note that bands can occasionally go up as well as down.
If you think the rateable value for your business (non-domestic) property is wrong, then you can use the online service to tell us. We’ll ask you to confirm the details that we hold about your property. Please note that your rateable value could go up as well as down.