Business rates court hearings
Do I need to attend the court hearing?
You do not need to go to the hearing if you accept that you owe the amount outstanding. The court cannot take account of your financial situation or discuss payment with you.
View more information on how to pay business rates.
What happens after the hearing?
Unless an arrangement is in place, we will send you a letter informing you that we hold a liability order. The letter will ask you to either pay the debt in full or contact us to make a suitable payment arrangement within 7 days.
Depending on your circumstances, and the amount you owe, we can enforce the liability order by:
- referring the debt to enforcement agents (bailiffs)
- starting bankruptcy or winding up (liquidation) proceedings
- applying for a charging order
- applying for your committal to prison
If we have agreed a payment plan with you, we will only enforce the liability order if you miss a payment.