What happens if I don't pay my Business Rates?
If you find that you are having difficulty keeping up with your payments, please call us as soon as you get into arrears. We understand that sometimes, paying late can be for a reason. Call us now on 020 7378 5941 and we will try our best to help you if we can.

Reminder notice
You should ensure that the payment reaches us by the instalment date. If the payment is not received within 7 days of the instalment falling due, a Reminder Notice will be issued. If you receive a Reminder, you should make the requested payment immediately.

Should the payment not be received within seven days of the date of the Reminder, you will lose your right to pay by instalment; if after a further seven days the total balance outstanding has not been paid, a summons can be issued.

Final notice
If you make the payment requested in the Reminder Notice, but a subsequent instalment is not received by the due date, the Council will issue a Final Notice, demanding the total balance outstanding for the remainder of the year.

You already have lost your right to pay by instalment and must pay this amount within seven days to avoid being sent a summons.

Summons
If, after receiving one or both of the above notices, you do not make the payment demanded, the Council will apply to the local Magistrates' Court for a Summons to be issued against you.

The issue of a Summons will also involve you incurring costs, these are incurred at the time the Summons is issued and must be paid in addition to the outstanding balance of your Business Rates.

The Council will be prepared to discuss a way you can pay the Summons and you should either return the form that you will find enclosed with the Summons, or contact the Business Rates Service.

If you have any sort of query regarding the Summons, or feel that it has been incorrectly issued, please contact us immediately.

A leaflet explaining what happens following your receipt of a summons can be downloaded below.

 Business rates summons (139 kb)

Liability Order
Failure to pay the Summons will result in the Council making application to the Court for a Liability Order. Obtaining the Liability Order will incur further costs against you and will give the Council the power to instruct Bailiffs to visit your property to collect the money outstanding; this again will incur further costs.

Failing to act at this stage could lead to a committal to prison.

To prevent any of the above actions being taken, please ensure that your Business Rates are paid on time, but if you do get into difficulty, contact us immediately.