Enlisting the help of RVA Surveyors, Lower Swell Chemicals Limited successfully reduced its business rates liability in 2022, resulting in a total saving of £5,000 backdated to early 2017.
Based in a warehouse on Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, Lower Swell Chemicals are an independent manufacturer of cleaning and hygiene products for the hospitality industry, and a chemical manufacturer for the automotive industry.
While the company had previously attempted to reduce its business rates liability, its senior leadership team found that the government’s ‘Check, Challenge, Appeal’ process was too difficult to navigate.
Jayne Davies, Lower Swell Chemicals' business secretary, commented that the current rating system was “not fit for purpose” and “overly complex”, which led to difficulties in remedying what the company board felt was an incorrect valuation of their Gloucestershire property.
It was this that motivated the company to reach out to RVA Surveyors, a business rates reduction specialist, for assistance.
After opting to engage with RVA, a surveyor was dispatched to carry out an on-site inspection. Due to the unique shape of the warehouse, the surveyor re-drew floor plans for a better representation of the property when compared to similar properties in the area.
After several weeks of careful research, the surveyor found two inconsistencies which could allow for a reduction in Lower Swell Chemicals’ business rates liability.
The first of these issues was that there was adverse access to the property which caused issues with loading and unloading large deliveries, and therefore having a negative effect on the daily running of the business. The second problem was that the unique shape of the warehouse posed challenges around storing large objects, which inhibited how space within the property could be used.
After RVA Surveyors collated this information into a case, it went about lodging a Check to the Valuation Office Agency [VOA] on behalf of Lower Swell Chemicals.
While the VOA did not initially agree to the proposed revisions included in the Check stage, RVA Surveyors and Lower Swell Chemicals launched a Challenge and a second Check in response. Following this, the VOA accepted revisions to the property’s Rateable Value [RV] and downgraded it to £19,000 from its initial standing of £21,000.
The reduction culminated in the total saving of £5,000 for Lower Swell Chemicals, backdated to April 1, 2017, going forward to at least March 31, 2023.
Paying tribute to RVA Surveyors for their assistance with the case, Davies said: “The communication was great throughout and their surveyor was punctual and efficient. The current rating system is not fit for purpose and I would advise businesses to contact RVA Surveyors to overcome the overly complex government process.”
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
