Empty rates came into effect on 1 April 2008. Prior to that, if a property was not let or occupied for six weeks, it was entitled to a rates holiday of six months.
But since the changes in April, landlords will have to pay full rates for offices and shops left vacant for 3 months and industrial property left vacant for 6 months. The legislative changes were roundly condemned by the British Retail Consortium, the British Property Federation, RICS and the CBI.
A petition to Gordon Brown for the scrapping of amendment to the empty property legislation can be found by following this URL;
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/emptythreat/
For further information, contact Siobhan Goodacre on 0115 947 6651.