Law and Litigation

The law relating to business rates is very complex. The basic legislation contained in the Local Government Finance Act 1988 has been added to piecemeal by other Acts of Parliament and by a myriad of Statutory Instruments.

The law also evolves through decisions from Courts and Tribunals. Details of some of these are on our news pages.

Business rates disputes can be about valuation or about rate liability. There are different appeal routes for these different types of dispute. Each Tribunal or Court involved in dealing with disputes on business rates will have different requirements and the bodies that hear appeals are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We have very wide experience of dealing with disputes on valuation and on rates liability throughout the UK. Our advice may help you avoid needless and costly litigation. But if you do have do pursue a business rates dispute we can help you develop a case so as to give you the best chance of success.

We can also provide expert evidence to support your case. Blake Penfold has more than 35 years’ experience of appearing as an expert witness in all types of disputes relating to business rates – see the section about Appeals.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE