Sterling (UK) Associates

Sterling (UK) Associates, business rates consultancy in the United Kingdom

Sterling (UK) Associates is a professional organisation dedicated to UK business rates. It has teams of specialists who advise occupiers of premises throughout the United Kingdom and has an office in London. Its activity focuses on minimising its clients' rates burden and on exploring all possible avenues to obtain reductions and refunds, negotiating for this purpose with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and with local authorities.

Client profile and types of property

The firm works with commercial tenants and landlords ranging from large listed corporations and public limited companies to SMEs and micro-enterprises. It also works with insurance companies that need to locate temporary premises for their clients in cases of flood, fire or building damage. The properties covered by its activity range from industrial units and distribution centres to offices, retail premises, film shoot locations and venues for one-off entertainment, sport, music and leisure events.

Rate reduction and review services

The service catalogue includes rate review, business rates reduction, revaluation, the check, challenge and appeal procedure, and empty property relief. The company also offers complimentary evaluations, telephone consultations and immediate reviews, and operates nationwide. Its surveyors are RICS members.

Acting as authorised agent

Sterling (UK) Associates acts as a professional agent before the VOA with agent code 198562. To appoint an agent, the ratepayer must complete Government Gateway authentication: register their personal details, register the business, claim the property using the rating list data on the VOA website and appoint the professional agent. If there is more than one property, the process must be repeated for each one.

Recent reductions and regulatory context

Among the recent reductions the firm showcases are those obtained for Perishable Movements Ltd, for £350,000; Amars & Sameer Ltd, for £78,120; Poppit Campers Ltd, for £76,230; and Geesinkorba UK Ltd, for £60,480. Its news section covers matters such as the hospitality sector's plea for help ahead of the 2025 UK Budget, the possible increase in pressure on the high street from rising rates, the double review facing businesses in England in 2026 and the sharp rise in rates affecting pubs, hotels and shops in London.

Business rates framework and next revaluation

The firm explains that the VOA assesses properties in England and Wales and assigns each one a rateable value, estimated from the annual rent the property could achieve on a given date. Current values are calculated using rents from the valuation date of 1 April 2008. The rateable value is combined at the local council with the multiplier, also called the UBR, to calculate the basic rate before discounts and reliefs. Small business rates relief is available for most properties with a rateable value below £15,000; with several properties, it only applies if the value is below £2,600. Properties with a value below £6,000 may qualify for up to 100% relief, and those between £6,001 and £12,000 are calculated on a graduated scale. In England there are multipliers for small businesses with a rateable value below £51,000. The scheme has been in operation since April 2005. The next UK revaluation will take effect on 1 April 2026, with values based on rent levels as at 1 April 2023; the previous valuation was carried out on 1 April 2023, after the pandemic, with values in force from 1 April 2017. The firm notes that the revaluation assigns new values and revises the multipliers, and that some areas of the United Kingdom could see reductions, while economic recovery, especially in London and the south-east, could drive increases.

Warnings about the scope of the service

The company warns that, at the date of the contract, it will not have all the necessary information to assess the correct rateable value, because the VOA does not release all the rental evidence until the proposal is being discussed. If it is not informed of relevant changes to the property, such as extensions or improvements, the VOA could increase the rateable value in certain circumstances. Sterling (UK) Associates cannot guarantee a reduction in the rateable value.