I received a phone call today from my previous council, the gentleman said he called me with regards to my very old address dating back to 1999-2004. I was a student then and found the flat through a normal Estate Agents, signed the Tenancy Agreement and moved in. Today, 2017, four children later I get a phone call from the council enforcement team informing me that I owe over £4000.00 in BUSINESS RATES. I was never informed that it was an "office" I was living in and to my total amazement they even took to me to court and I have a liability order from 2005. This is approx a year after moving out. I wasn't the only tenant, there was a gentleman above me in another flat and they built yet another flat in the loft when I moved out. My flat had a bathroom with a bath and a kitchen and looked nothing like an office. My LL at the time informed me that I wouldn't have to pay council as I was a student and it would have been included anyway. The gentleman from the council informed me that I am 100% liable and even though landlord or estate agent deceived me. I am in total shock and feel that I have no choice other than to start to pay this huge amount. There weren't any letters chasing the so called Business Rates throughout my time there and all correspondence from Landlord stated My name, then, First Floor Flat, 33 So-called Road and Postcode. Unfortunately I don't have more than 3 letters after that many years and I feel well and truly confused. The man also informed me that their records only go back 7 years so they will not be able to investigate nor look further into it as "the Law of the Land" (his words) has already decided that I am liable. Does anyone know why landlords would do this? What do I do? I have 7 days to respond Please advice or wake me up from this nightmare :frosty: Please let me know if I need to post this in another section, unsure and new to this.

Can anyone help on this one? We haver taken over a small business (fitness centre) this is in a larger building (a rugby club house) and is leased from them. The rent in 2008 was £10000 pa. We have half the first floor for an office, changing rooms, reception area, studio and gym, total area 350 sqm. The other half of the first floor belongs to the rugby club and has an office, reception area, changing rooms and a bar/conference centre/kitchen, total area 350 sqm Both premises were valued by the VOA in April 2014. We are valued at £16250, the other half of the first floor is valued at £7000. At first sight, this seems horribly iniquitous (as well as putting us at a major disadvantage relative to other local fitness centres) and I'm trying to work up to the formalities needed to contest this. But before I start, am I missing something obvious… is there a reason that I don't know about which will explain the discrepancy?

Hi I have returned to my works to a letter from a bailiff for business rates. I am behind on a payment plan with local authority , now they have instructed bailiffs who are demand full rates for a year almost £10,000. I have phoned the bailiff up asking for a payment plan - he point blank refused, he said all money (£10k) or they attend tomorrow and remove goods, if that happens - I am out of business, its over for me - I explained this to him and said I would do monthly payments - surely that's better all round, he said they will force entry tomorrow to gain access as he has already made peaceful entry - when he delivered letter. what can I do - ? I though maybe a change company name or new company formation so rates from today onwards in a different company name :- the liability on the existing company would only Be April to Now - reducing debt to around £3,500 If I had the money I would have paid , we are struggling at the moment but can do £1000 month maybe we could pay arrears £2000 ish to council there are plenty of assets - just no cashflow. If they are taken -I am screwed, they will go for scrap value and I will be out of business. any help please ?

Hi All, I am new to this Forum but my husband and I need some help, guidance and/or support please on this very long running, frustrating matter. 6 September 2011, the Lease on our business premises expired and the keys were collected by the Agent on the 7 September. We got him to sign for them as confirmation of the end of the Lease because the Landlord had been sending very nasty text disputing the expiry date and demanding more money. 8th September 2011, we asked the Agent if we could rent the property for 3 weeks in order to sell off some goods from another business which we had closed down some months ago, at £100/week. It was agreed and he brought us the key. However, later the same day, we cancelled the agreement because we managed to sell everything as a job-lot. At the same time, our decorator (who was in between jobs at the time) said he would repaint the interior walls as we had used silk on them and it should have been matt emulsion. He would do it free of charge. He then got a job but said he would still do it, as promised, when free. We explained all this to the Agent and said it was a gesture of goodwill. He said it was ok and just hand the keys back when the decorator had finished. True to his word, the decorator completed the job a couple of weeks later. We told the Agent who said he would come for the keys but he only came for them on 17th October 2011. We never thought anything more about this until we received a letter (the first of many), from the Landlord himself, from his home address, on 12 January 2012. In his usual inimitable way, he was demanding money for allegedly using his back yard, having our bins under his fire escape, rental for the time the decorator had the key … in total £933.00 and if we didn’t pay, he would sue us for £2,070.00 … the equivalent to 2 months rent of the old Lease. We, of course, responded to each of his points and eventually, told him to stop with his threats and to go ahead and sue us (20 March 2012). We never heard anything more from him although he had told the tenants in the flat above the premises to get us to sort out the problems with their leaking roof!! They themselves reminded him it was not our responsibility but his. It was the beginning of February 2012 when we first received a Council bill for the outstanding business rates for the period 7 Sept – 17 Oct 2011 for a total amount of £889.28. We explained that we were under no Contract whatsoever to the Landlord for that period and the lease had expired on 6 September 2011. They showed little interest and said if we were unable to resolve the matter, the best course of action would be to let the case go the Magistrates Court for them to settle. We said we were Ok with that. We had a summons for 5 October 2012 but when my husband arrived, the officer said he would adjourn it so that both parties could be present. However since then, they seem to have sided with the Landlord. We now have a Liability Order hearing for the 22 February 2013 as “the Landlord and his agent have both provided confirmation that the keys for the premises were not returned until 17 October and, as such you are liable for the empty property charges until that date” We are very surprised that the matter has been allowed to reach this point. We have supplied the Council with written confirmation of the end of the Lease etc. but they have obviously sided with the Landlord. We believe the Landlord is just being vindictive because we did not continue with his Lease – the main reason being he had said he would only increase the rent by £50/month (£600/annum) as he did previously but when the Lease arrived, he had actually increased it by £5K/annum. We moved our business next door which we have spent a great deal on to refurbish to our needs (like we did with his premises) which must have angered him even more hence the unfounded demands for extra money as described above, and the fact that his property was left empty for a very long time. We actually moved out of his premises March 2011 and left them empty and in a much better condition then when we first moved in. The Agent had been round to check everything and if he was not happy, he would not have taken back the key and confirmed the end of the Lease. And why would we leave the property empty for so long and then re-rent it after the lease expires just to paint it? That is their argument and the council believe them. The Agent apparently cannot recall the Verbal Agreement being cancelled but if it hadn’t, surely he would have been in touch with us to collect the agreed rent and not left it to the Landlord to chase 5 months later. We do not have any legal background or knowledge but do not believe we should be liable for these rates based on a Lease which had already expired. Can anyone clarify our position and how we should present our case on the 22 February? Many thanks.

I live in a Council property and am starting a business. I want to avoid opening paying business rates and planning permission issues so I'm using another address ie one of these Virtual Office packages that offer a Mailbox and mail forwarding service. I'm prohibited from using my Council home as a base for business and face eviction if they think I'm running a business from there. Will using a Virtual Office be sufficient to avoid complications?

Hi. I hope someone can give me some help with baliffs charges. I have until the end of the week to pay. I was visited by a Baliff on 1st Feb 2011. I had missed a couple of payments of business rates in December2010 after making an arrangement with the council in June 2010. He told me he was there to seize goods. After discussion he said he would give me till the end of the month (feb). I now have the money to pay the bill but noticed his charges (although not as big as some ive seen) seems a bit high. He completed a walking possession. It states. Outstanding debt £2400. First visit fee is blank. Second visit fee is blank. Levy fee £82. Walking possession blank. Other £200. Total £2682.00. I had paid £300 the day before his visit, so the actual amount should be reduced by £300. Can anyone tell me if the charges of £82 and £200 are justified. I only received the 1 visit. Also, should i pay the baliff or pay the council online as i normally do with business rates? Im worried that if i didnt pay the baliff charges and only paid the outstanding debt, that i may get a second visit. Time is against me. Please help. Thanks.