Problems paying your business rates?

If you have problems paying your business rates, or you think you might be about to have problems, please get in touch with us immediately as you may be able to rearrange the way you pay.

Please don’t let any problems grow. The longer you leave it and allow any debt to build up, the harder it will be to make an acceptable arrangement to clear the debt. Keeping in touch with us when you are experiencing difficulties will help prevent action being taken against you.

Here is what happens if you don’t pay or come to an arrangement with us:

• We send you an initial reminder to be paid within seven days. If you don’t pay, then
• We ask the Magistrate Court to issue a summons to you for a hearing over the unpaid money, which adds £50 court costs to your account. If you still don’t pay then
• We ask the Magistrates Court to grant us the power to recover the unpaid money from you, which adds another £25 court costs to your account. If the court decides to grant us this power and you still don’t pay then
• We collect the unpaid money from you using a range of methods including attachment of earnings or benefits, bailiff action, and bankruptcy proceedings. You will be liable for any further costs incurred as a result of these methods. Please note if we forward your account to a bailiff, the bailiff becomes responsible for recovering the debt and we will not usually intervene any further.