Business rates - appeals

If you are dissatisfied with the rateable value of your property, you may appeal against it, subject to certain conditions or circumstances that are listed below.

ALL appeals against the Rateable Value of a property should be directed to the Valuation Office Agency and NOT Maidstone Borough Council. The office dealing with appeals for Maidstone can be found at:       

Valuation Officer Karen J Kendrick, Non Domestic Rates South East, Valuation Office Agency, St Annes’s House, 2 St Annes’s Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3LG.

Telephone: 03000 501501                                                                                                                         

ALL appeals against rateable values should be directed to the Valuation Office Agency and NOT Maidstone Borough Council.

An appeal against the value is made by means of a proposal for the alteration of the Rating List, as explained below.

For more information please visit the Valuation Office Agency website.

Proposals

State the name and address of the proposer and the 'capacity' in which he makes the proposal;

• Identify the property to which the proposal relates;
• State how and why the entry in the list is inaccurate and how the list should be altered to rectify the inaccuracy(ies).

Conditions or Circumstances

You can appeal against the rateable value of your property if:

• The rateable value shown in the list was inaccurate on the day the list was compiled
• You believe there has been a change in circumstances after the list was compiled
• Any amended rateable value [made by either the Valuation Officer or the valuation Tribunal (see below)] is inaccurate
• The day from which an alteration is shown in the List is wrong
• A property is missing from the List
• A property is shown in the List that should not be (for example it is Domestic)
• Property is shown as one entry in the List when there should be more than one
• Property is shown in the list as separate entries in the List when there should only be one entry
• The address shown in the list is wrong
• The description of the property shown in the list is wrong
  

Tribunals

The Valuation Tribunal

In the event of your appeal to the Valuation Officer not being successful, you have a further right of appeal to the Valuation Tribunal at Albion Place, Maidstone. This is completely independent of the Valuation Office Agency.

Lands Tribunal

In the event of your appeal to the Valuation Tribunal not being successful, you have a further right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal on a point of law. The Valuation Tribunal would advise you of the procedures to be followed at the appropriate time.

Other Appeals

If you are dissatisfied with any decision of the council relating to the granting or not granting of any matter, you should initially address your appeal to the Revenues (Business rates) Section of the council at Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ or call 01622 602230.

Further Information

Further information or details about your rateable value can be obtained from The Valuation Office Agency, Folkestone Office, Palting House, Trinity Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 2TP. You can telephone on 01303 852901, fax 01303 852959 or visit the Valuation Office Agency website.