Paying your Business Rates

If you are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford to pay your Business Rates, you should contact us immediately, so that we can help.

If you do not contact us, and continue to default on your payments, action will be taken to recover any money outstanding. This will involve the issue of a Magistrates' Court summons, and could result in bailiff action, insolvency or even committal to prison.

The Magistrates' Court summons
If you receive a summons, you should pay the full balance shown on the summons immediately. If you cannot pay the full balance, fill in the arrangement slip and the Direct Debit details on the summons and send the summons back to us.  If we accept the arrangement and you keep to the payments the Council will take no further recovery action. Return your completed form to the Business Rates Service, PO Box 466, Manchester, M16 6AT or fax it on 0161 274 7215.

If you do not pay the full amount, or you fail to keep to the arrangement agreed, the Council will apply to the Court for a liability order against the account. This grants the Council further powers to collect any amounts outstanding. The account will then be issued to a bailiff, who will collect the money on our behalf.

If you receive a letter warning of bailiff action, you should pay the full balance immediately. If you cannot pay the full balance, you should contact us, as there will still be time to make a payment arrangement. If you do not contact us, the account will be issued to the bailiff and will be subject to any additional costs that arise from the bailiff's actions.

Bailiff action
Once your account has been issued to the bailiff, you should make any payments directly to them. They may also be willing to make a short-term payment arrangement with you. If you still do not make payment, or default on an arrangement made with the bailiff, the Council can authorise the bailiff to remove goods from your property.  The goods will then be sold to cover the balance outstanding and the bailiff's costs.

If the bailiff is unable to collect the amount due, the Council will begin insolvency proceedings, to wind up your company or put you into bankruptcy. As a last resort, the Council retains the right to commence committal proceedings, which could result in a term in prison.

The Council employs three bailiff companies. They are:

Rossendales Limited
Wavell House
Holcombe Road
Helmshore
Rossendale
Lancs
BB4 4NB
phone: 01706 830213

Equita Limited
5th Floor
West Wing
Quay House
Quay Street
Manchester
M3 3JE
phone: 0161 834 2460

Marston Group Ltd (formerly Drakes Group Ltd)
Bridgeman House
Sun Street
Waltham Abbey
Essex
EN9 1EL
phone: 0845 600 2112

Bailiff code of practice