More Business Rates Appeal Success for Roger Hannah

Roger Hannah’s Rating department has been busy over recent months in what looks likely to be a record year of successes.

Acting on behalf of a developer for a City Centre Office scheme Roger Hannah successfully appealed the business rates on the building which had been prepped for construction work, pending confirmation of planning permission, for a multi-million pound office extension and refurbishment. The outcome was a deletion of the assessment resulting in significant savings for the client.

This was closely followed by a successful appeal for the owners of a large derelict mill building in North Manchester which was reduced to £0 Rateable Value, backdated to 1^st April 2017 due to the premises being “Beyond Economic Repair”.

The two successful appeals fall within an extremely complex area of Rating Law.  Our team challenged the assessments which were subsequently agreed with the Valuation Office Agency producing savings for the client’s in excess of £500k in Business Rates payments over the full 2017 Rating List period.

Roger Hannah also have extensive experience acting for ratepayers within the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality sectors which are currently under strain due to the ongoing pandemic.

We recently represented a restaurateur who occupies premises within a popular destination location within Manchester city centre. Following submission of our Challenge and negotiations with the Valuation Office Agency we were successful in agreeing a reduction in the Rateable Value of more than 20%, producing savings around £45,000 over the 2017 Rating List period.

If you own or occupy a commercial property or are a developer with a vacant building and you feel you may be paying too much or the premises are derelict and incapable of occupation, or you are unsure whether your rateable value is correct, please contact our specialist Business Rates team for a free initial consultation.