National chartered surveying firm Altus Group has opened a new office in Bristol providing a range of cost saving services to occupiers of commercial property in the South West of England and South Wales including business rates mitigation, rent reviews and lease renewals. The decision comes ahead of the next Business Rates Revaluation in England and Wales from 1st April 2017 which will introduce more complex requirements for ratepayers submitting an appeal with the Valuation Office to reduce their rates bill, in a region where liabilities are expected to increase.
The new regional office will be lead by Catrin Mathias, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), who has over 16 years experience leading business rates appeals for companies across all property types including office, retail and industrial space. Catrin has also previously worked in the Government’s Valuation Office, the department that is responsible for determining Rateable Values of commercial properties, and also the Welsh Development Agency along with similar roles at other chartered surveyor firms including Lambert Smith Hampton, CBRE and DTZ.
Catrin will be joined by Steve Plowman who specialises in the Minerals and Waste Industry sectors throughout the South West and Wales. Steve is vastly experienced in this sector having worked for the Valuation Office and more recently for Colliers and has a comprehensive understanding of the valuation techniques required to successfully challenge the Rateable Values of properties in these sectors.
Alex Probyn, UK President of Altus Group, commented, “I am extremely pleased that Catrin and Steve have joined Altus Group. Their extensive experience and knowledge of business rates mitigation in the South West and South Wales ensures that we can offer our first class service from within the region itself at an important time of changing Rateable Values and complexity with the new appeal system.”
