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WHE Revenues Assurance - The Comprehensive Rates Retention Service for Local Authorities

 

WHE Revenues Assurance provides a fully supported rates retention service to Billing Authorities on all aspects of rating and rates retention – proving a unique end-to-end service not provided by any other service provider.

The Wilks Head and Eve LLP team consist of experienced rating valuers some of whom have held posts within the Valuation Office and within Local Authorities and so have a broad range of experiencing within the practice and this has allowed the team to offer services under WHE Revenues Assurance – allowing Billing Authorities access to a range of services to support their rates retention needs.

Since the Localism Agenda in 2013, Wilks Head and Eve have been providing support and advice to Local Authorities in relation to identification of missing yield and forecasting on losses on appeals for the NNDR 1 and NNDR 3 returns. However WHE Revenues Assurance seeks to provide a greater breadth of services which we believe fully supports the needs for a Billing Authority under current retention arrangements.

Much more than just yield enhancement and forecasting on losses on appeal, WHE Revenues Assurance offers the client full support and advice in relation to all rating matters through access to our experienced valuers who can help with issues which face Billing Authorities on a regular basis.

With the new WHE Revenues Assurance portal we believe this offers an unrivalled end-to-end service to clients that will meet all of their requirements.

Providing a unique end-to-end service encompassing all service requirements with rates rentention including:-

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How will you work with the government's Check, Challenge, Appeal?

Only WH&E Revenues Assurance Service can provide the accurate, audited tested forecasting service to

  • Reduce unnecessary provisions
  • Provide reliable, prudent forecasting

The Background

Under the government’s new appeals system, Check Challenge Appeal, ratepayers are required to go through a three-stage process. The process is an IT driven solution that requires entry through the Government Gateway. It has caused some well documented delays in enabling ratepayers to appeal the Rateable Values of their business premises and been particularly difficult for Agents to navigate (through which the vast majority of appeals occur). There is no doubt that the Valuation Office Agency is improving the IT systems all the time, but as yet the numbers making it through are very low.

The Size of the Task

Under the old system, 12 months into the old list, we had seen upwards of 230,000 challenges and appeals upon which to base data driven forecasting. Under this current system, we have seen fewer than 24,000 Checks, 2,600 Challenges and almost no formal Appeals. In short, the data simply doesn’t exist upon which to base a data driven forecast.

Even as old list appeals are being concluded, this data doesn’t help us to forecast the effects on the new list, this is because the Valuation Office Agency isn’t adjusting the 2017 list based on changes to 2005 & 2010 list.

The Problem

It might be assumed that we could use some form of simple percentage uplift against appeals in previous lists, but this does not work because different property classes and regions came out very differently in the last revaluation – there was no simple uplifts in values.

Whilst we know that the appeals will happen at some point, the current data available cannot tell us when and what the likely losses on appeal will be. In short, they are and will remain largely invisible until the moment they reach the tribunals.

This means that purely data driven forecasting models cannot be counted on to accurately forecast losses on appeal in the 2017 list.

The Answer

Wilks Head & Eve Revenues Assurance Service

  • A model created through 200 years of valuation experience
  • Draws on 50 years of working with revaluations
  • Delivers accurate forecasting even where no data exists

Wilks Head and Eve – knowledge is the key to forecasting rating valuation

Much more than just an algorithm, we offer an aggregation of knowledge, experience and accuracy. Wilks Head & Eve has a unique understanding of rating valuation, evolved over many years and supported by a continuous process of refinement through case law.

Familiarity with a local dimension

Due to local retention, some of these changes now have significant impacts on local authorities. Only Wilks Head & Eve have the breadth of knowledge and experience to accurately forecast the impacts for our clients.

Results which speak for themselves

We provide the most comprehensive and detailed forecast for losses on appeal and our methodology does not simply use an algorithm on historic appeals projected for future losses.

  • Uses a detailed analysis of the Valuation List.
  • Examines current outstanding appeals locally and nationally.
  • Examines alterations locally and nationally.
  • Examines hereditaments likely to be subject to appeal.
  • Applies valuation experience and knowledge.
  • Provides the most comprehensive and detailed forecast for losses on appeal.
  • Supported by a fully evidenced report which is entirely audit compliant.
  • Fully accessible through our online portal to support completion of NNDR1 & NNDR3.
  • Complimentary support, providing free advice and assistance with audit queries.

View Rates Retention Forecasting Brochure >

Increasing Yield

In addition to providing fully audit complaint reports for forecasting losses on appeal and the completion of annual returns NNDR 1 and NNDR 3, a Billing Authority has to be concerned with the ‘growth’ within their billing authority area and this is another element where WHE Revenues Assurance can help.

Providing fully EBAR compliant reports to enable quick and easy uploads to the Valuation Office our dedicated team of valuers are able to identify hereditaments which are missing or undervalued in the list using a range of tools and datasets available to them.

With the identification of missing buildings in their entirety, changes from residential to commercial, changes from Central to Local list, identification of allowances that should be removed or changes a buildings overall area which would have the effect of an increase in value our team are able to identify and quantify these changes and our experience in this area allows alongside in house teams complementing the abilities of in-house colleagues or where there is limited resources reviewing all potential areas for increase in yield.

View Rateable Value Finder Brochure >

Access to helpdesk for advice and support on all aspects of rating

As experienced rating valuers WHE Revenues Assurance are able to offer a range of additional added value services which benefiting from the full range of rates retention services allows access to these providing added value to a Billing Authority – please enquire for further details.