Business Rates — we’re on your side
Specialist business rates consultants helping commercial ratepayers, hotels and holiday-home owners across Southampton and the South of England reduce their non-domestic rates — through Check, Challenge, Appeal and beyond.
Specialist business rates services
From reducing your Rateable Value to recovering historic overpayments, we cover the full breadth of non-domestic rating — all under one roof.
Expert, honest and always RICS regulated
Led by Roderick Bisset BSc, MRICS, IRRV, we combine deep specialist knowledge of rating law with the transparency and accountability of a Chartered Surveyor practice.
RICS Regulated
A practising Chartered Surveyor firm regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, with a formal complaints handling procedure.
Transparent Fees
A clear, upfront fee structure with no hidden charges — you always know what you will pay and when.
Honest Risk Advice
We tell you at the outset if you appear under-assessed. We never make misleading “guaranteed reduction” promises.
What you need to get started
A clear, four-step process built on a fair, RICS-regulated terms of engagement.
Terms of Engagement
We ask you to sign a fair, RICS-regulated terms of engagement that clearly sets out our instructions from you.
Letter of Authority
We contact your Local Authority with any bill calculation queries and make the necessary applications on your behalf.
Copies of Rate Demands
Not all savings come from reducing your Rateable Value — we analyse your rate demand for alternative savings too.
Inspection &/or Appraisal
To establish whether you have a case we appraise your property, understand the rent paid and review any physical changes.
Serving Southampton & the South of England
We represent ratepayers across London and the South West & South East, typically within around two hours’ drive of Winchester.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers on fees, the appeal process and the risks — the things ratepayers ask us most.
Do you work on a “no savings – no fee” basis?
It is a substantial cost to us to provide a Chartered Surveyor to visit you, discuss your trade, review your detailed profit & loss accounts, consider material changes in the locality and inspect your property — and that part we do for free. Should it then be appropriate to engage us, we both sign terms of engagement, we carry out the initial stages of registration, claim your property and submit a “Check”. At that point we charge £395. If we are concerned that you might be under-assessed, we will tell you at the beginning — there is no point taking unnecessary risks.
When do I pay your fees?
The initial £395 fee is payable once the first “Check” has been served under the Check, Challenge, Appeal procedures — by which time a great deal of work will have been completed on your behalf. The performance-related (percentage) fees are payable only after the Local Authority issues your revised rate demand(s) or a refund.
Are there any extras?
Sometimes you will receive a “Notice Requesting Information: Non-Domestic Rating” from the VOA seeking details of your occupation, lease or turnover. These are time consuming to complete and, if you ask us to complete them for you, we charge £135 per form.
Why are there different fees for appearing at a Tribunal?
This is out of our hands. Following recent decisions of the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber), an expert witness cannot give expert evidence if rewarded on a scale related to the outcome — doing so prejudices the evidence and damages your case. Very few cases are heard by the Valuation Tribunal; if yours is likely to be one of them you will have ample time to decide whether to proceed or accept the result from the Check and Challenge stages.
Could you be paying too much in business rates?
Book your free, no-obligation assessment with a Chartered Surveyor. We only charge once real work begins — and we tell you honestly if you have a case.