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Rating Talking Heads: November

A Round Up of Rating Issues

This event runs as an informal discussion with a small panel of leading and informed practitioners extracting the nuances from the monthly topic. They discuss practical issues that arise, with participants in the meeting being encouraged to listen, join in, ask questions and share comments.

Module Duration: 1 hour 5 minutes

Recorded: 16/11/21

Areas covered

Please note there are no slides accompanying this recording. 

In November’s edition of Rating Talking Heads, we will be focusing on a general mixture of rating issues.

There will be a focus on questions that have been raised by delegates from past discussions and from a recent survey. While there is a handful of different questions/topics to talk about, a few main discussion points that will be covered are:

  • Returning to MCCs more generally, how should a valuer distinguish between increased vacancies due to the general demise in retail with the closure of Debenhams, Arcadia, BHS, Toys R Us, HMV etc., which were happening due to increased internet shopping and out-of-town shopping, from these same closures “attributable to”, or hastened by, Coronavirus. Is there masking of the cause of the MCC – as per Appeal of Kendrick and Merlin v Cox?
  • Does the tidying-up of a property at the end of tenancy, minor dilapidations works of redecorating, fitting new lights, installing new toilets - does that make the property fall within the ‘prior question’ established in Monk for a property incapable of beneficial occupation, or do such minor works fall within the statutory repair assumption set-out in the Rating (Valuation) Act 1999? Examples include: shop refit, office redecoration and re-wire.
  • Transitional Certificates, when can they be applied for?
  • How are properties valued for business rates in Northern Ireland?
  • The impact of Covid-19 business grants on retail; and what of extended retail relief?
  • What are local authority’s take on the Covid-19 business grants and retail relief?
  • Consultations in Scotland on reforming the non-domestic rates system: proposals, the draft valuation roll, content of valuation notices, etc.

November's Talking Heads