Commercial property consultant Vail Williams has acquired specialist rating practice Bisset Moffatt Hill (BMH) to provide expert support and advice to businesses preparing for rates revaluation in 2017.
The union primes Vail Williams with an enhanced team of business rates experts to support existing and new clients as they prepare for the complexities of the introduction of the new ‘Check, Challenge, Appeal’ system that will impact on the business rates revaluation in 2017.
The new arrivals will work under the Vail Williams brand at its network of offices boosting the company’s existing business rates mitigation consultancy and growing its rating client base to over 2,000. The acquisition of BMH also enhances Vail Williams’ presence in property sectors such as retail, licensed property, hotels and motor trade.
Chris Cave, Vail Williams’ Regional Managing Partner for the Birmingham region, said: “The last time business rates were calculated was in 2008 – ahead of the last recession – and it is inevitable that many organisations will face increases. Expert advice will guide them through the complex process to prepare for and appeal against the likelihood of higher liabilities in order to minimise the impact.
“Getting ready for a rating revaluation is a time-consuming process, so with just a year to go, time is running out for companies to secure the help to get their property affairs in order to make a significant financial difference to their outgoings – and commercial prospects.
“We’ve acquired Bisset Moffatt Hill to give us the extra capacity, expertise and know-how to support clients over the entire five year revaluation period. We’re ready for the revaluation and we want our clients to be too.”
Six surveyors including the three senior Directors of the BMH team will join their four new Vail Williams colleagues to create a new, ten strong national business rates unit headed by BMH co-founder Simon Moffatt.
Simon Moffatt said: “Vail Williams is a highly-respected, national commercial property specialist and we’re relishing the chance to bring our focused expertise to meeting the rating challenge that businesses will face in 2017 given the complexities of the system changes being introduced by the government.
“Clients will see the difference from our two companies joining forces. With the added expertise we will have at our disposal, they will be able to benefit from years of experience in rates mitigation and recovery”.
BMH was founded in 1997 by Rod Bisset, Simon Moffatt and Steve Hill who between them have experience of more than five rating revaluations. The BMH team will relocate from their current bases in Crawley and Slough and will work out of Vail Williams’ network of offices across the South and in Birmingham.
