After some help re business rates

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miss-kip

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Hi Everyone, not new here but its been that long since I used the forum I've lost my old login details! :o

Just trying to figure out a rough guess at what business rates would be for our place and hoping someone can answer my questions;

How do you work out the net annual value? I understand that you pay a rate per m2 nav but how is this actually calculated?

Are stables retained for your own personal use and in relation to your dwelling house exempt from business rates or are they worked out over the external footprint of the building (everything under one roof) and not each individual box?

I read that if the grazing land is used for equine grazing only it is also rateable unless used for other agriculture. What exactly are the consequences of that? is taking a cut of hay or grazing a few sheep on the same land enough for it to be exempt?
 
I can't help - would be interested to know myself. Perhaps post this on New Lounge? There is a thread on there about taking legal action against a yard owner, and a few people have mentioned rates on that...
 
obviously if I was to continue using the stables for my own personal use it would not attract business rates but what I'm trying to work out is if some of them were used for commercial use would I end up paying business rates on them all including the ones Im using personally and how do the work out the charges.

Thanks Honey08 - I did have a read through that thread but didnt want to hijack it!
 
Every Council works differently so it's best for you to contact them yourself. When we initially wanted to run our place as a business, the Council only allowed us 3 stables business rate free - we had to pay rates on all the other stables, plus the barn, menege, and the horsewalker. Now we don't run a yard, and only have our own horses on site, we still have to pay business rates - mainly because if we were to try and go back to domestic rates on the whole property, it would work out more than the business rates do (and that's after we had Council officials come down to look around again). As I said, contact the Council direct - they will be able to give you all the assistance you need. All I know is that my rates on my little property is more than double to what the big yards up the road in Newmarket pay and that's with them having about 80 more stables and loads more land, barns, etc and all because it comes under a different Council.
 
Penniless said:
Every Council works differently so it's best for you to contact them yourself. When we initially wanted to run our place as a business, the Council only allowed us 3 stables business rate free - we had to pay rates on all the other stables, plus the barn, menege, and the horsewalker. Now we don't run a yard, and only have our own horses on site, we still have to pay business rates - mainly because if we were to try and go back to domestic rates on the whole property, it would work out more than the business rates do (and that's after we had Council officials come down to look around again). As I said, contact the Council direct - they will be able to give you all the assistance you need. All I know is that my rates on my little property is more than double to what the big yards up the road in Newmarket pay and that's with them having about 80 more stables and loads more land, barns, etc and all because it comes under a different Council.
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Thanks for your reply. Slightly frighting that keeping your business rates is now better for you and that larger yards are paying less!:eek:

I have managed to get the prices per m2 from the council but to find out any more they want to send someone out. Trying to avoid that at the moment and just get as much information as I can as I have a friend who was in a similar situation and had someone out just to enquire what the situation would be only to receive a letter 3 weeks later saying that they had changed her banding and her council tax was going up! Good to know that there is some give and take in regards to boxes for personal use.

Do you mind me asking if you had to pay rates on your grazing also and if it was just horses on the land if you did?
 
No we didn't have to pay business rates on the grazing and after the horses trashed the outdoor menege they agreed to take that off of business rates as well, providing we took all the lights down from each corner though.

As I said, every Council works differently - we are literally only 2 miles from another Council (which the main Newmarket racing yards and studs are in) and as I said, their business rates are minimal to what my Council charges. But in all honesty, my Council have been very helpful and I did actually receive a letter only a month ago saying something along the lines of that I didn't have to pay any more business rates at the moment (at least until April next year) as an agreement had been made to give relief to small businesses before the change of government. They are negotiating at the moment though and I (and other yards who do have permission to run a business from it) will be notified in March.

The only good thing with our Council is that they do check up on adverts advertising livery etc. to make sure that they do have permission/change of use/etc which personally, I think is brilliant - as I really don't see why I should have to pay (when I was doing a business) when somebody up the road who didn't have a clue about looking after horses, erected a few stables and took in liveries - cash in hand, and got away without paying rates on anything.

If I can answer anything else - feel free to ask - but in all honesty, get someone out from the Council and tell them everything - you'd be better off in the long run.
 
Hi

I assess non domestic rates for a living so I can give you some guidance.

The Rateable value is set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), not the local authority, they are responsible for the billing side only. The Rateable Value (RV) is calculated on how many loose boxes you have, Menage area, tack room etc. However the VOA do generally charge less per loosebox for 'hobby stables' than for livery. Strictly speaking all of the boxes should be rated but some offices do ignore those for personal use even though this has no legal standing. If you look on the VOA website it will tell you how Stables are assessed. If it has been assessed incorrectly you can appeal against the valuation. Even if your stables are purely for private use you would attract non domestic rates. I can give you more detailed advice if that is not sufficent :o

Cheers
 
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