Cash machines in supermarkets not separate hereditaments for rating purposes: Supreme Court – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 26th, 2020 in appeals, local government, news, rates, Supreme Court, valuation by sally

‘The Supreme Court has upheld a Court of Appeal ruling that ATM machines are not rateably occupied separately from the host stores.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st May 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge dismisses bid to restrain presentation by councils of winding-up petitions over unpaid business rates – Local Government Lawyer

Posted April 30th, 2020 in local government, news, rates, restraint orders, winding up by sally

‘The High Court has thrown out a case against two councils brought by the director of a company already subject to a general civil restraint order and who made a “bizarre” suggestion to a judge.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th April 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Company wins High Court battle over business rates and subletting – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 30th, 2020 in appeals, local government, news, rates by sally

‘A company was not liable for business rates on a building it does not wholly occupy, the High Court has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th March 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Legal aid lawyers call for government support over Covid-19 – Legal Futures

Posted March 17th, 2020 in coronavirus, law firms, legal aid, news, rates by sally

‘Criminal defence solicitors have called for expedited legal aid payments and an extension of the business rate holiday to law firms with contracts to combat the impact of Covid-19.’

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Legal Futures, 17th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Onus of Proof in Business Rates Complaints – 33 Bedford Row

Posted February 21st, 2020 in burden of proof, chambers articles, complaints, local government, news, rates by sally

‘Where a Local Authority (the ‘Billing Authority) applies by way of complaint to the Magistrates Court for a liability order against an alleged ratepayer, for allegedly due but unpaid, national non-domestic rates (‘Business Rates’), the Magistrates Court will issue a summons requiring the alleged ratepayer to attend the Magistrates Court to answer the complaint (the ‘Complaint’).’

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33 Bedford Row, 16th February 2020

Source: www.33bedfordrow.co.uk

Wellbeing and cost of practice worrying barristers – Legal Futures

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in barristers, mental health, news, rates, rent, standards, statistics by sally

‘Experienced barristers are largely confident for their own futures but face challenges around wellbeing, the rising cost of doing business and the late payment of fees, a major survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 20th January 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Relief for councils as NHS trusts lose High Court bid to claim £1.5bn charities reduction on business rates – Local Govenment Lawyer

Posted December 16th, 2019 in charities, hospitals, local government, news, rates by tracey

‘A group of 17 NHS foundation trusts have failed to persuade a High Court judge that they are charities and so eligible for substantial reductions on the non-domestic rates payable on the properties they occupy.’

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Local Govenment Lawyer, 12th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Dispute over empty properties and £10m+ in business rates to go to Supreme Court – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 9th, 2019 in appeals, interpretation, leases, local government, news, rates, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute over empty commercial properties and whether councils are owed more than £10m in business rates arrears.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Après nous le déluge – rents and water resellers – Nearly Legal

Posted December 2nd, 2019 in landlord & tenant, local government, news, rates, rent, water by tracey

‘Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames v Moss (2019) EWHC 3261 (Ch). Ever since Jones v London Borough of Southwark (2016) EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report), the position on water rates taken as rent by a number of London Councils and Housing Associations under agreements with Thames Water has been conflicted. Some councils (including Southwark) refunded tenants the ‘discount’ that they had received. Other councils did nothing, and frantically tried to settle and defence to rent arrears possession proceedings that raised the water rates point (not always successfully), in the hope and expectation that someone else would take another case to the High Court and overturn or distinguish Jones.’

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Nearly Legal, 1st December 2019

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Libor rigging inquiry shut down by Serious Fraud Office – BBC News

‘An investigation into the rigging of Libor, the benchmark interest rate that tracks the cost of borrowing cash, has been unexpectedly closed.’

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BBC News, 19th October 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rent payments, unless orders and relief from sanction – Nearly Legal

Posted October 21st, 2019 in appeals, landlord & tenant, news, rates, rent, sanctions by sally

‘This is not really a housing case, being a commercial lease dispute, but there are a couple of points about relief from sanction and rent payments that are worthy of noting.’

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Nearly Legal, 16th October 2019

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Court of Appeal blow for councils over business rates and empty properties – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 14th, 2019 in leases, local government, news, rates by tracey

‘Councils may be left unable to claim some £10m in business rates after Rossendale Borough Council lost a test case in the Court of Appeal over empty properties.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th March 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Whether Rates Proposal Invalidated by Omission – Local Government Law

Posted January 15th, 2019 in leases, mistake, news, rates, rent by tracey

‘In Alam v Valuation Officer (2018) UKUT 266 (LC) Mr Alam is the proprietor of the restaurant. He took a lease of a Property. His agents submitted a proposal to reduce the rateable value of the Property. In their proposal they stated correctly that Mr Alam was the occupier of the Property but also stated that the Property was “owner/occupied”. The proposal was completed in that way because of a misunderstanding between Mr Alam and his agents. As a result, the agents did not include any information in response to the question “if not owner/occupied, is a rent or licence fee paid?” and, in particular, did not state the rent payable, the date it had first become payable and the date of the next rent review. All of this was information required by Regulation 6(3) of the Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2009 (“the 2009 Regulations”). The issue in Mr Alam’s appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) concerned the consequence of the mis-statement of the capacity in which Mr Alam occupied the Property and the omission of any information about the rent payable. The Valuation Tribunal for England (“VTE”) found that the proposal was invalid, explaining: “… in whatever circumstances to omit the rent from the proposal was a substantial failure to comply with the Regulations. The panel was therefore persuaded that the error was so fundamental that the proposal could not in any circumstances be treated as valid.” ‘

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Local Government Law, 9th January 2019

Source: local-government-law.11kbw.com

New Judgment: UKI (Kingsway) Ltd v Westminster City Council & Anor [2018] UKSC 67 – UKSC Blog

Posted December 18th, 2018 in electronic mail, local government, news, rates, service, Supreme Court by sally

‘This appeal considered the validity of the service of a completion notice under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, Sch 4A by the appellant on the respondent.’

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UKSC Blog, 17th December 2018

Source: ukscblog.com

Council wins Supreme Court battle with ratepayer over service of completion notice – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 18th, 2018 in electronic mail, local government, news, rates, service, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Westminster City Council in a dispute over whether a completion notice in relation to a redevelopment was validly served on a ratepayer.’

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Local Government Lawyer, December 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Supreme Court to rule next week in case on rates and service of completion notice – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2018 in news, notification, rates, service, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court will next week (17 December) hand down its ruling in a case on the service of a completion notice by a billing authority.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th December 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

MoJ calls for evidence on new personal injury discount rate – Litigation Futures

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has issued a call for evidence on the new personal injury discount rate to be set under what will soon be the Civil Liability Act.’

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Litigation Futures, 10th December 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Supreme Court to hear dispute over service of completion notice in rates case – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 30th, 2018 in appeals, documents, local government, news, rates, service, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court will next week hear a key case on the service of a completion notice by a billing authority.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 29th October 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Property guardians and ‘non-domestic rates’ – Nearly legal

Posted September 21st, 2018 in landlord & tenant, news, rates, tribunals, valuation by tracey

‘This is an interesting decision of the Valuation Tribunal on the effect of the occupation by property guardians of a commercial building. Some (though not all) property guardian companies have made a sales feature of the alleged freedom from non-domestic (commercial) rates for a building occupied by guardians, on the basis that it is occupied for residential use. This Valuation Tribunal decision rather dents that position, as well as illustrating the complications that arise when you operate on the edges of landlord and tenant law.’

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Nearly legal, 20th September 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Advocate and expert – asking for trouble – Nearly Legal

Posted August 14th, 2018 in advocacy, expert witnesses, news, rates, surveyors, tribunals, valuation by sally

‘Non-domestic rating is not something we usually cover on this blog. It is, after all, not about housing. But the decision of the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) in Gardiner & Theobold LLP v Jackson (Valuation Officer) [2018] UKUT 253 (LC) goes much wider.’

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Nearly Legal, 13th August 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk