Business Rates Insights With Peter Foley - #2 Lower your rates by doing your own appeal.

Peter Foley is our resident guru here at CPA and has been passionately following the shifting world of business rates for many years. With keen political insight, Peter’s writing reveals how policy change is key to understanding your business rates further, and how this could translate into substantial savings. In his weekly column, Peter also outlines the desired path forward, with changes we’d like to see implemented for a fairer system on the nation's business rates.

Commercial Property Advisors (CPA) share the general bemusement that the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund announced twelve months ago, has failed to pay out, like a broken fruit machine.

This is particularly galling since firms affected by the pandemic have been prevented from using this as a basis for rates appeals. So one door has closed, while another fails to open.

Valuable time could be lost, waiting for local authorities to decide how to release funds. And even if firms were able to bid for help, they would face a confusing variety of criteria, applied to individual sites, and determined locally.

Meanwhile, all firms, retail and non-retail alike, are seeing the dreaded return of rates bills, as Government discontinues its (temporary) generosity.

CPA's services to hard-pressed businesses include a free non-binding consultation, followed by a free, evidence-based professional survey, and a forensically-detailed report to the billing authority, wherever appropriate.

The result? A realistic prospect of receiving five years of rebates, and a fairer valuation for the future. With less than a year to make an appeal, before the next rating list, now is the time to contact CPA for help and advice.