Rates on a Lockup

I found a letter at my lockup (it has no letter box and the letter had
been poked under the door) informing me that it had been added to the
rateable property list as "Workshop Premises". £800 pa - which I could
do without having to pay.

As I only store my bikes and occasionally tinker with them there do I
have to pay rates? I don't use it as a place of business. Although one
or two of the neighbouring lockups are; couple of cabinet makers and a
potter.

 

Sounds like they've decided that you're running a business from there and
applied a business rate. Do you own or rent the lockup? If it's rented,
the rates may be included in the rent.

 

It's rented but rates aren't included. It's all a bit casual in the
don't ask questions department or ask for rent for that matter; I've yet
to get my act together to pay the last 18 months.

I assume I only pay business rates if I run a business?

If I can prove I don't (i.e all the bikes in the workshop are registered
to me) are the council likely to exempt the premises. If so what other
rates would I be liable for? Obviously not residential/domestic..?

 

As I understand it. I don't pay business rates on my garage, and if it's
just a brick shed where you keep your bikes, I can't see that it's different
from a garage. OTOH if you've never paid rates on it before, and you've had
it x number of years, and there's a rateable value however minimal, this
might be all the back rates you owe in one big lump. I know a guy who was
in a band, and they'd rented a shed on a farm to practice in, and /because
they stored their kit their/, they were liable for business rates.

I'd get onto the council and ask them WTF is going on - in the nicest
possible way, of course.

 

Two wobbly TS250 crankshafts, a broken Supa 5 gear return spring, and
four blown six-volt festoon bulbs.....

So not likely in this case, then.

 

Where do you propose I put the 12 motorcycles; two full roll cabs, two 3
metre long workbenches, pillar drill and a decades worth of spares to
rival, a rather grubby, Wilf Green that are in the lockup?

 

If only that was it...

 

the kitchen?

 

Ebay HTH

--
Steve Parry

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

http://www.arrivedeprived.org.uk/

K100RS SE
F650
(not forgetting the SK90PY)

 

eBay?

 

^^^^^

I had decided not to do spelling flames, but that's *so* disappointing
from *you*.

 

<commits suicide>