Enterprise Inns offers free rating appeal service

Enterprise Inns has reminded tenants they can take advantage of a free ratings appeal service.

Many licensees are facing crippling rises in business rates from April, with the average rise likely to be more than 20%.

The pubco has teamed up with chartered surveyors Robert Clarke & Co and Lawrence Tattersall to help out with ratings appeals. The surveyors have saved Enterprise tenants around £20m as the result of 2,500 successful appeals over the last five years.

The appeal, which could typically cost £1,200, is being offered free to all licensees.

"The perception is that the latest revaluation is bad news for all business rates payers and that there isn't much licensees can do about the increase," said Enterprise head of estates Simon Millar.

"As far as we're concerned it's not all bad news, and in fact for some retailers, it's quite the opposite.

"It presents the opportunity to not only avoid further increases but also reduce existing rates that unfairly reflect a pub's trading environment.

"It's likely that more than half of our estate will see lower or at least unchanged rates in 2010."

Victoria Trafford, partner at Robert Clarke, added: "There are many factors or 'material change of circumstances' that could provide a basis for a successful appeal.

"Licensees should consider if there are any physical changes to their local area that might have adversely affected trade. Examples include major changes to the local marketplace, changes in road layout or parking, closure of major local employers or demolition of offices, factories or homes."

Enterprise said that Glyn Roberts, of the Bell in Whitechapel, chopped £12,000 of his bill after a successful appeal.