Recovery
If you are having difficulty paying your Business Rates, contact us.
If a payment is not made within 7 of the instalment date, we can start recovery proceedings.
Reminder, final notice or summons
By law, we must send a reminder if your instalments are not paid on time. If you do not bring them up to date within 7 days, you lose the right to pay by instalments. You will be issued with a final notice asking for the full amount charged to be paid within 7 days.
If you pay on the first reminder and you fall behind again, you will receive a second reminder. You must bring payments up to date within 7 days, or you will lose the right to pay by instalments. You will be issued with a final notice asking for the full amount charged to be paid within 7 days. You will not receive further reminders after the second reminder has been issued.
Unless the whole amount is paid within 7 days following the issue of the Final Notice, you will be sent a summons that will include £80 court costs.
Arrangements when a summons is received
Even when an arrangement is made, we still must obtain a liability order. We will not take any further action against you, as long as you keep to the arrangement we have made with you.
By law, the amount outstanding plus court costs are payable when a liability order is obtained. Once a summons has been issued, the only way to stop us asking for a Liability Order is to pay the full amount plus costs before the hearing.
Liability Order
If you receive a summons and do not pay in full before the hearing, we will apply for a Liability Order.
A liability order gives us the right to -
- use enforcement agents
- start bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings
- ask the Magistrates Court to commit a person to prison
Extra costs will be applied to your account depending on the recovery action taken.
I cannot pay the amount in full
If you are having difficulty paying, contact the Business Rates office using the form below -