Rates contest

As I sit in Morgan Pryce’s office by Oxford Circus I can’t help but think about noise disturbance. Bearing in mind our office is located almost on top of Oxford Circus in one of the busiest spots in the world it is not exactly a quiet and tranquil environment surrounding the office. The sound of police cars, buskers, street dancers and general screaming from the public are a day to day occurrence that happen so frequently that the most it normally causes is a deep sigh. For a while the man playing the trumpet with a traffic cone got a glance out of the window until it was realised that he only had one song.

Working in the West End you get used to all of these background noises and learn to tune them out and get on with your work. However, today is different and the noise is almost unbearable. The cause is the next door office to ours; it is being completely stripped out and the banging and drilling is insufferable. My desk is vibrating as I write this and Sally Brough, senior agent at Morgan Pryce, has taken to wearing ear plugs in the office. 

Working in this sort of environment you would expect to achieve some sort of compensation and as an office occupier you are able to get some in the form of rates relief for Material Change of Circumstance, where you are able to reduce the rates payable for the office space for the period of works. The way to see if you are eligible to contest your rates because of a material change of circumstance a rating surveyor needs to be consulted and will advise on whether it is worth contesting the rates payable. Ratings surveyors usually only take a fee if they manage to reduce the rates payable. Morgan Pryce are able to recommend ratings surveyors to tenants. 

This news was brought to you by Morgan Pryce, a specialist tenant acquisition agent with offices in Oxford Circus and the City. Morgan Pryce specialises in search, negotiation and project management and works exclusively for tenants.