Vail Williams Forensic Auditing Brochure- Business Rates

Forensic Auditing An investigative approach to unearthing historic savings, over payments and recovery angles on rate accounts

Forensic Auditing Effective property tax mitigation strategies explore all savings opportunities beyond those applied by the conventional appeal route.

Forensic auditing is a complex subject that involves in-depth analysis of previous local authority tax payments. Our combined auditing and surveying expertise focuses on the identification of historic rate account anomalies and technical angles, leading to the recovery of monies from charging authorities.

The savings we recover through this auditing process will typically arise from: • • •

Historic overpayments Application of reliefs Billing errors

• • •

Certification issues Unclaimed credits Legislative changes

Vail Williams offer a ‘stand-alone’ forensic audit. This desk-top investigation of past accounts is relatively quick to process across portfolios, doesn’t clash with existing appeal instructions and, importantly, requires minimal client input.

Step 1: The Audit

Step 2: Rebate Recovery

Step 3: Successrelated outcome

Our initial step involves a detailed review of your past tax charges to ‘flag up’ any anomalies that could lead to a refund of overpayments.

We will make contact with the charging authorities to verify the account history for each anomaly identified.

This process is a self-financing activity. All fees are calculated on an agreed percentage of the savings recovered by the audit.

This analysis is part of an exploration of the savings angles that may apply to existing or former properties. In many cases, we have identified the potential recovery opportunity prior to making contact.

With your written authority to investigate these accounts, the recovery process will involve negotiations and the research criteria unique to each property.

The performance fees are only invoiced once the savings are received.

Vail Williams provides the professional insight of a firm of Chartered Surveyors in conjunction with internal auditing expertise. Our approach offers clients the assurance of integrity throughout the process, allied with a performance-related ethos.

Call our rating hotline on 01293 575135 Our offices:

Key contact

Birmingham

Gatwick

Birmingham Edmund House 12-22 Newhall Street Birmingham B3 3EF T: +44 (0)121 654 1065

Crawley Unit 4 Peveril Court 6-8 London Road Crawley, West Sussex RH10 8JE T: +44 (0)1293 612600

Solent Portsmouth Lakeside North Harbour Western Road Portsmouth PO6 3EN T: +44 (0)2392 203200

Southampton Savannah House 3 Ocean Way Ocean Village Southampton SO14 3TJ T: +44 (0)2380 820900

Thames Valley Heathrow 450 Bath Road West Drayton Heathrow UB7 0EB T: +44 (0)2085 648300

Reading 550 Thames Valley Park Drive Reading RG6 1PT T: +44 (0)118 909 7400

London London Dover House 34 Dover Street London W1S 4NG T: +44 (0)20 3589 0050

Surrey Woking One Crown Square Woking Surrey GU21 6HR T: +44 (0)1483 446800

James FitzGibbon RICS Partner T: +44 (0)121 654 1065 M: +44 (0)7823 791 049 JFitzGibbon@vailwilliams.com

Our services: • Building Consultancy • Business Rates Consultancy • Commercial Property Investment • Lease Advisory • LPA Receivership • Marine and Leisure • Occupier Advisory

• Property Acquisition and Disposal • Property Asset Management • Property Development Consultancy • Property Planning Consultancy • Property Valuation

Visit us: www.vailwilliams.com Vail Williams

@vailwilliams

Vail Williams

Vail Williams LLP, a Limited Liability Partnership, registered in England (number OC319702). Registered office: 550 Thames Valley Park Drive, Reading RG6 1PT. Any reference to a Partner means a Member of Vail Williams LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications. A full list of Members is open for inspection at the registered office.

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