Licensees in rate review fees warning
Licensees are being warned not to pay fixed fees to companies offering rating review services or they could face being out of pocket.
The warning comes as a conman convicted of fraud was identified as working as a so-called senior assessor for bogus Bristol-based firm Harrison Black & Partners, which offered rating-appeal services to pubs for up to £5,000.
The company was not incorporated at Companies House and used an innocent company's VAT details to obtain an office lease.
Geoffrey Stevens, of Oldbury, West Midlands, was jailed for six years for conspiracy to defraud on 24 February.
He was one of three people found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of a nationwide con where he would offer assistance in obtaining finance under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme.
Bruce Lawson, a consultant from PubTax, a licensed trade accountancy firm, identified Stevens as an assessor he met from Harrison Black & Partners with one of his pub clients last July. He is worried as two of his clients paid out up to £2,500 each for the company to lodge an appeal.
The appeals are now going through the Valuation Office Agency and, despite repeated attempts, he cannot contact anyone at the company.
Harrison Black & Partners also had an office in Oldbury, which is now shut. The building manager Fred Jesson confirmed he had repossessed the offices as the landlord was owed £2,500 in back rent.
He said: "We wrote to them at an address in Bristol and informed them they had 14 days to take their belongings. We have not heard from them since. We are now starting to get calls from people trying to track them down. Court bailiffs have already arrived trying to reclaim £1,500 they owe a printing company."
The Publican's Morning Advertiser has been unable to contact Harrison Black & Partners via email and phone. Its website, www.harrison-black.com, has been taken down from the internet with the message: "This website has been suspended."
Fleurets' head of ratings Michael Yass said: "Any reputable rating company will be a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation, or the Rating Surveyors' Association. You should not pay a fixed fee upfront to any rating consultants."
Harrison Black & Partners has no relationship with Isle of Wight-based accountants Harrison Black.
Advice from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
Before employing anyone that has approached you, always check that they are reputable.
You can appeal against the rateable value yourself for free on the VOA website — www.2010.voa.gov.uk.
If you opt to employ a rating agent check they are reputable before signing any contract. The VOA recommends that you employ an agent who belongs to one of the professional bodies and check their credentials.
Reputable agents will want to inspect the property and/or see the accounts before they estimate any saving.
If you are approached by someone offering to appeal on your behalf, be on your guard.
There are some disreputable companies who will cold-call you by phone, email or in person offering you substantial savings on your bill.
