Business Rate Tax

[apexblue]

Do any UK owners of holiday lets pay domestic council tax or business rate tax

www.northwalesholidaylets.co.uk

[Nightowl]

At the moment I pay domestic but probably need to swap to business rate - I gather it is likely to be cheaper.

The thing is that before you switch to business rates you probably have to check with your local planning department that there are no planning permission issues with you runnning a holiday let business ....ie, do you need planning permission or not? Because if you go the business rates route and the planning department decide that you need permission and they won't grant it you might be a bit stuffed... because you presumably can't claim business rates if you aren't allowed to run a business from your premises.

I finally got around to checking with our local council and they said, no I don't need planning permission. So I think I am OK now to go to the council and ask about business rates.

[jane reed]

just remember if you pay business rate you do not get your rubbish collected via your council and if you do decide to rent your property for eg the winter months this does confuse the council. i get cheaper electric as a business user than residental.

[goosie]

Jane, there was a whole discussion on the pros and cons here

www.laymyhat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6323



hope that helps

[apexblue]

i get cheaper electric as a business user than residental.

Does this apply to gas and water also

[apexblue]

Been changed to business rates within a week which is GBP 250 less to pay than domestic and is backdated to 2006 - however rateable value has come back at GBP 2025 which allows a 25% discount but under GBP 2000 we would have a 50% discount thereby saving an extra GBP 250 - anyone else had this problem - we will appeal - no mention of advertising fund or planning permission


www.northwalesholidaylets.co.uk

[Margaret]

It could well be that things are different in Wales - all rateable values were redone in Wales a few years ago but not in England, as far as I remember.

[Stephen]

just remember if you pay business rate you do not get your rubbish collected via your council and if you do decide to rent your property for eg the winter months this does confuse the council. i get cheaper electric as a business user than residental.

We pay business rates and get our rubbish & recycling bins emptied along with the rest of the village, we even asked for a larger wheelie bin and were supplied one free charge by Tynedale Council

They also help with the costs if you decide to go with English Tourism

[apexblue]

Just received a refund for £660 as our business tax was backdated to 2006 - only had to fill a form in, bins collected as domestic and have just applied for our other cottage - so if you haven't done so already call your local business tax office -however no grants for advertising available.


www.northwalesholidaylets.co.uk

[Christine Kenyon]

If you only have one property, business rates are probably a better option. Or at least, that's our experience.

I found out about marketing grants one April when I was idly reading the district council blurb (which arrived with my business tax statement) whilst eating my porridge. Most profitable breakfast meeting I've ever been to .

[Wonkeye]

Re Goosie's reference to the topic I started, see above, unfortunately nobody answered my last, rather lengthy, comment on that thread and I'd be ever so grateful to get a reaction either here or there (or both). We are more inclined at the moment to let sleeping dogs lie and not stir up trouble at the local council, particularly bearing in mind Christine Kenyon's comment (on my own thread): "Business rates vs council tax is one of those areas where you need to know what the right question is to ask without giving away too much info about why you're asking!"

Our little village is a desirable area and we're rather afraid the cottage would be given a high rateable value. I've been doing extensive detective work on the Valuation Office Agency's website:
http://ratinglists.voa.gov.uk/irl2k5/ma ... 005&lang=E
I've tracked down properties nearby and further afield to try and get a picture of who gets themselves listed for council tax and who for business rates simply to try and see the position we ourselves might find ourselves in. There are no other holiday cottages in our village to compare with so can't be certain. And aren't there revaluations coming up in 2010, just to cloud the issue even further?

Yours indecisevely,

Wonkeye