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On 1st April next year, the 2005 Rating List will come into effect, and the new rating assessments will form the basis of all non domestic rating bills from 1st April 2005 to 31st March 2010.
The Valuation Office has taken the decision to publish the new rating assessments six months in advance, and the new rating list will be published on the internet on 1st October this year at www.mybusinessrates.gov.uk. It is important to visit the correct website because other sites with similar names have been created.
For the first time ever, valuation summaries will also be posted to all occupiers of shops, offices, warehouses and factories.
There will be no general right of appeal against the new rating assessments until 1st April 2005, but it will be possible to notify the Valuation Officer of any inaccuracies as soon as the new rateable values are published.
The Valuation Officer's website will also include details of the valuations they have applied to other properties, and this information will be available to all, including unprincipled opportunists who will target ratepayers relentlessly. They will promise large reductions in return for substantial up front fees together with results based top up fees.
Ratepayers are reminded that rateable values can go up as well as down, and that professional advice should always be sought before an appeal is made. Please contact us for an initial free of charge discussion.
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