The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

[Snoopy1948]

I have a friend who owns a business and this year, under the 2017/18 Rateable Value revaluation, his rateable value soared over 200%.

He is in course of submitting an appeal against this but he also complained by writing to his MP as she supports small businesses quite vocally.

The MP acknowledged this and referred it to The Adjudicators Office who in turn wrote to him, stating that before they can become involved, he must go through the stage 1 & 2 of the Valuation Office's Complaints Procedure.

I have briefly spoken to the Valuation Office about this and they acknowledged that a 'complaint' would be a different process to a Rateable Value appeal. I am assuming, though it is confusing, that a complaint would encompass the Valuation Office Agency failing to follow due procedure or making assumptions that have yet to be proven. It is therefore possible that a 'complaint' and a 'rateable value appeal' may well cross reference each other.

My question is about the Adjudicator's Office, with whom I am not familiar, and what powers do they have over, in this instance, a complaint about the Valuation Office not following due procedure?

[Snoopy1948]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

Any advice from anyone please?

[Kati]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

[MENTION=15129]Crazy council[/MENTION] [MENTION=51026]Ula[/MENTION] [MENTION=85500]Peridot[/MENTION] [MENTION=6]Amethyst[/MENTION] [MENTION=87380]Diana M[/MENTION] ???

[ULA]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

Hi sorry not my area of expertise. Hopefully there will be someone along soon who can provide some help.

[Debt Camel]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

Not sure why you are contemplating a complaint rather than an appeal? Lots of businesses have seen their business rates double. Do you have a reason to argue your rateable value is wrong?

[Snoopy1948]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

Appreciate your reply.

The case in question had a 2010 Rateable Value of £8000. The draft 2017/18 RV soared to £24.500.

Hard to accept at face value as this is a small business. My friend had requested that he be advised of the 2017/18 RV at an early stage and he received that September/October 2016. As it was a draft RV, there was no right of appeal at that stage but nevertheless he made a 'complaint' that the increase was untenable. IN response the VAO admitted an error in calculation, stating that they had put the case in the 'wrong scheme' and reduced the £24500 to £13000 without a decent explanation why.

If he had not questioned the matter, he would have been stuck with a charge that would have bankrupted him from day one of the new year.

The question of making a complaint, rather than an appeal, comes only from the Adjudicator's Office. An appeal may involve a complaint that the VAO has simply got it wrong but with such disastrous assumptions made in setting the 2017/18 rate for everyone, it becomes more of an issue for public investigation and that, to my mind is a complaint.

But my questions does remain, who exactly is The Adjudicator's Office and what powers do they have, if any, over the questionable actions of the VOA.

You state that lots of businesses have seen their rates double. Surely each and every one of those are entitled to question that or are you saying that's just to be expected?

[Debt Camel]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

I assume you know there was a general re-rating? There has been a lot in the press about it. Some areas have been much worse affected than others. Finding out how neighbouring businesses have done would be a good starting point.

[distress]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

"

Not sure why you are contemplating a complaint rather than an appeal? Lots of businesses have seen their business rates double. Do you have a reason to argue your rateable value is wrong?

or in simple common people's words:
Lot of businesses going bankruptcy what makes you so sure your business deserves a different fate ?!

[Snoopy1948]

Re: The Adjudicator's Office ... Advice Please?

Just to focus my exact question, it was about who The Adjudicator's Office exactly was and their powers in this case. It was not aimed at the way RV revaluations or RV appeals work as I have spent 23 years enforcing the National Non Domestic Rate and experienced every combination of response from the VOA with regard to these matter but never, as yet, met The Adjudicator's Office as an intermediary, in fact never even heard of it, but now due useful information emailed to me I understand that they act solely with complaints with HMRC or the VOA but cannot consider disputes about policy or matters of law.

When the 2010 rating stood at £8000 and the 2017/18 RV rose to £24,000, no one in their right mind considers that reasonable particularly as central government announced increased measures to help small businesses, taking many of them out of the chargeable structure altogether.

In this case, the VOA stated that they made an error of judgement by inputting the wrong information. This was only admitted when a complaint was entered. But the VOA states that a complaint is not an appeal, but there are some very grey areas where both overlap.

And as for "Lot of businesses going bankruptcy what makes you so sure your business deserves a different fate ?" , and while it is not my business in question, surely rearranging the financial liabilities ( by argument ) to continue trading is the way to go, or am I simply being a donut to suggest that?