Recovery process

When there is a change to your Business Rates account, we will send you an updated bill. Always refer to the most recent bill when making payments.

What happens if you don’t pay your Business Rates

First Reminder Notice

If you pay your instalment late or miss a payment, we must follow a legal recovery process, so we will send you a First Reminder Notice.

If you pay the First Reminder amount in full within 7 days:

• Your future instalments remain due and payable as shown on your latest bill.

If you DO NOT pay the First Reminder amount in full within 7 days:

• Your account will follow the legal recovery process and you will receive a Magistrates Court Summons.
• This will also incur additional costs that will be added to your bill.

Magistrates Court Summons

A Magistrates Court summons will be issued where you failed to bring your account up to date by making full payment of the amount shown on a previous notice.

£60 costs will have been added to your bill and will be payable by you.

The Magistrates Court Summons will include clear information explaining that:

• You can Pay in Full
• Pay by Special Payment Arrangement

This is your last opportunity to make payment direct to the council.

If the account is not paid in full by the court hearing date shown on the court summons, the Council will apply for a Liability Order to be granted by the Magistrates.

Liability Order

When a Liability Order is granted by the Magistrates an additional £25 costs are added to your Business Rates bill and will be payable by you

Once a Liability Order is granted, we may use the following statutory recovery methods for recovery of the debt:

• Enforcement Agents (bailiffs)

Enforcement Agents will place further costs on to your account which you will be liable to pay.

If your case is passed to an Enforcement Agent:

• You must deal with them directly.
• They are trained to look at affordability when considering an offer of payment. The council will not interfere in this process.
• An Enforcement Agent will always look to settling the debt by payment, but they could remove goods to the value of the outstanding debt.
• Bankruptcy / Insolvency

In some case the council may decide to make a person bankrupt or liquidate a company to raise assets to settle outstanding Business Rates.

Need help?

If you are struggling to pay, please contact us as early as possible. We can check whether you are entitled to:

• Discounts
• Exemptions
• Discretionary reductions

The earlier you contact us, the more options we can offer.