The purpose of this booklet
This booklet explains the work carried out by the Valuation Office
Agency for Business Rates and sets out the standards we seek to
achieve.
Our service standards take into account the views of customers
who take part in our annual surveys.
If You require this leaflet in an alternative format please contact
your local Valuation office .
A Welsh language version is available at
all our offices in Wales.
Introducing the Valuation Office Agency
The Valuation Office Agency is an Executive Agency of the Inland
Revenue.
We are responsible for:
- the Council Tax bands in England and Wales
- the rating assessments of all non-domestic property
in England and Wales
- valuations of land and property for Capital Gains Tax
and Inheritance Tax
- Right to Buy determinations in England, Wales and Scotland.
We also carry out valuations for other government departments
and some Local Authorities.
Information is available at all our offices and on our website
explaining these areas of work and the standards of service provided.
Our offices are listed in the telephone directory under 'Valuation
Office Agency'. As directories are updated, the entries will appear
under 'Valuation Office' for England and Wales and 'District Valuer'
for Scotland. Further information about the Valuation office Agency
can be found on our website at: www.voa.gov.uk
This booklet is about Business Rates
The local Valuation Office keeps a rating list showing the rateable
value of all properties in their area. You can look at this if
you want to see how your rateable value compares with other properties
in your area. You can also view this information on our website.
The local Authority tells us when there has been a change to your
property. They also tell us if a new property has been built. Where
necessary we will visit your property and take measurements in
order to decide an accurate rateable value.
We will tell the Local Authority when we change the rateable value
or when we value it for the first time. They will work out the
amount of rates you should pay. Any query about the bill should
be made to them.
Our aims are to:
- provide a fair, prompt and helpful service to our customers
- be impartial in our assessment of value
- provide an efficient and value for money service
- secure a sound and fair tax base
Our commitment to you
We believe that meeting your needs is important.
We will do this by
- giving you the best possible service
- providing helpful and impartial advice
- helping you to understand your rights and obligations
- treating everyone fairly by valuing all properties accurately
and impartially
- keeping information about your property confidential except
when it is required for a Valuation Tribunal hearing
We will write and tell you if we change your rating assessment.
At the same time we will tell you about your right to appeal and
how to do it.
If we need to visit your property we will:
- give you 7 days’ notice wherever possible
- be punctual in keeping any appointment we make. You can help
us by letting us know in advance if you are unable to keep
the appointment
- carry identity cards
- write and tell you if we change your rating assessment. At
the same time tell you about your right to appeal and how to
do it
If at any time you are unhappy about
your assessment we will:
- write and tell you how to make an appeal
- explain the basic principles of rating and how we arrived
at your assessment
- tell you about your right to make an appeal and how this can
be done
- send you an acknowledgement of your appeal within 10 working
days
- allocate your appeal to a programme which will tell you when
your appeal will be discussed
- tell you the start date for discussions and the target date
by which we expect them to be completed
- tell the Valuation Tribunal about your appeal so that your
interests are protected
- aim to agree the proper value by negotiating with you or
your appointed agent within the discussion period. We will listen
to
your views and explain ours. We will discuss with you your
reasons for appealing
- give you or your agent a copy of our valuation during or
before the discussion period
If the matter cannot be resolved by agreement we will:
- give you or your agent a copy of any market evidence we intend
to use before the Valuation Tribunal. We aim to do this 7 days
before the hearing but can only do so when you or your agent
have given us the information we need to conclude negotiations
in sufficient
time.
NB The Tribunal is independent of the Valuation Office and the
hearing is informal
If you call to see us at our office:
- we will see you within 5 minutes when you call at the local
office which deals with your affairs
- we will wear name badges
- we aim to answer your questions fully. If we cannot do this
we will arrange to phone you, or write to you if you prefer,
when we have found out all the facts
- our reception offices are open 9.00am to 4.00pm Monday to
Friday
If you telephone us:
- our experienced staff will answer your telephone enquiries
promptly and politely
- we aim to answer your calls within an overall average of
10 seconds
- when we answer the telephone we will give you our name
- we aim to answer your questions straight away. If we cannot
do so, we promise to put you through to someone who can, or
arrange to call you back within 48 hours. Or if you prefer, we
will write
to you
If you write to us:
- we aim to write and acknowledge your letter within 5 working
days of receiving it
- we aim to answer all your questions in clear plain language
within 15 working days. We expect to achieve this for 90% of
all letters we receive and within a further 5 days for the remaining
10%. If we do not have all the facts there may sometimes be
a delay.
We will write to you and tell you if this is the case
You can help us by:
- giving accurate and full answers to our questions and telling
us how we can be of more help to you.
We will check to see if we are meeting our aims and tell you the
results in our Annual Report.
If English is not your first language
Welsh - we are committed to a bilingual policy. We have Welsh
speaking staff in almost all our offices in Wales. We can write
to you in Welsh if you prefer. We produce a number of booklets
and forms in both languages.
Other languages - If you write to us in the language you prefer
we will answer in the same language; if you would like to talk
to us, we will arrange for a translator to be available by telephone
link. Alternatively, you can help us if you have a friend who can
act as a translator.
if you have special needs Some people have special needs. We are fully committed to help
all our customers and have introduced the following facilities:
- If you have a hearing difficulty please tell us, so that we
can make arrangements which will most suit your particular needs.
A
minicom service is available - Minicom Service Countrywide:
020 7506 1809. As we also use this as a voice phone, be sure
to use
your voice announcer.
- If you have a sight problem we will provide information and
communicate with you in a format you are able to use. We are
happy to talk
to you on the telephone or we can arrange to visit you at your
home. If we need to write to you we can do so in large print
or Braille or we can enclose a copy of the letter on audio tape.
If
you let us know your preference we will communicate with you
in that way.
- If you would prefer to be visited at home because you have
special needs please let us know and we will arrange a convenient
time.
Consulting our customers
We believe it is important to ask you about the standard of service
we provide and the kind of improvements you want. We carry out
regular customer satisfaction surveys, and we look at and act on
the information we receive. We are keen to talk to people, such
as professional bodies and trade associations, about how we can
improve our service.
Our performance
We publish our performance against our main targets each year
in the Agency's Annual Report. We will be happy to give you a copy
of our latest results. You can get these by contacting any local
office (hyperlink).
What if things go wrong?
We welcome your comments and complaints as they provide valuable
feedback on the service we have provided. We are anxious to put
things right if things have gone wrong and to learn the lessons
from them.
If you have a complaint about the service we have provided you
should write to the Group Valuation Officer at the office concerned
who will look into the matter. We will do our best to put things
right if we have made a mistake. We will acknowledge and try to
deal with your complaints within 5 days. If we need to carry out
further research we will let you know and try to have completed
this within 20 working days.
If you are still not happy you can write to:
The Chief Executive
Valuation Office Agency
New Court
Carey Street
London WC2A 2JE
Telephone 020 7506 1801
Fax 020 7506 1996
You can send complaints and suggestions to him by email if you
prefer at customerservices@voa.gsi.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied after you have had a reply from the Chief
Executive's Office you can ask an impartial adjudicator to look
at the matter and recommend appropriate action. The Adjudicator's
services are free. You should contact:
The Adjudicator
Haymarket House
28 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4SP
Telephone 020 7930 2292
Fax 020 7930 2298
Email: adjudicators@gtnet.gov.uk
Website: www.adjudicatorsoffice.gov.uk
Also, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint
or the way in which it has been handled (by ourselves or the Adjudicator)
you can ask a Member of Parliament to refer your complaint to the
Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman will accept referral from any MP but you should
approach your own constituency MP first.
For further information contact
The Parliamentary Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Helpline 0845 015 4033
Fax 020 7217 4160
Email: opca-enqu@ombudsman.org.uk
or visit the Parliamentary Ombudsman Website (www.ombudsman.org.uk)
which contains further information and guidance
A booklet called 'putting things right for you' is available free
at all our offices or can be viewed on our website. It explains
our commitment to put things right, our standards for handling
complaints and when we will make a payment to you.
Your views
We welcome your views on the aims we have set out in this Charter
and on the service we provide. To do this please contact the Customer
Service Manager at one of our offices or
Head of Customer Services
Chief Executive's Office
Valuation Office Agency
New Court
Carey Street
London WC2A 2JE
Telephone: 020 7506 1700
Fax: 020 7506 1996
email: customerservices@voa.gsi.gov.uk
VO9696 (09/03)
|
