Forum Topic

Service charges and Council Business Tax

Both are very high in the area and survival for businesses is impossible. There will be few more empty buildings and properties in the area. There are not enough customers to support the local businesses. what can be done for it?

Satvir Sidhu ● 4684d3 Comments

You sound as if you have a business locally, Satvir?  Where are you based?I don't know anything about business rates but the tax system must be set up to benefit owners of these empty office blocks dotted around the area.  Maybe they don't have to pay rates if they are left empty.  It would be nice to see some of them put to community use and for owners to obtain tax concessions from doing so.  Has anyone done a survey of how many are empty around us?  There is a building opposite the Green school which looks as if it has been empty for years - could it maybe not house six form classrooms freeing up space at Brentford/Green school and Isleworth & Syon?

Sarah Felstead ● 4673d

That is right, money does not benfit councils but they who send bills and collect. Service charge is a area that needs to be regulated more tightly. You sign a lease on a certain precentage basis but the landlord gets greedy once there is a tenant and budget gets bigger and bigger every year with only few services provided for it. Then it is difficult to sell your lease because the service charges that started with say £1500 a year and within 3/4 years it has become £15000 a year!! When a small business is finding it hard to make ends meet then one does not have money to start expensive legal arguments. "one had signed a lease!!?

Satvir Sidhu ● 4683d

Business rates are set by central government. The valuation is also assessed by the valuation agency. Neither have anything to do with the local council. Service charges are down to the landlord and the terms of the lease. I should have thought Brentford rents are cheaper than many other parts of London?

Iain Muir ● 4684d