Rent rooms in a gym can we get the 10000

michbro85

Hi all, my mum, sister and I have a small business as beauticians. We are all partners and we rent rooms in a gym. Obviously we haven't been able to work since the gym closed.

Does anyone know of were we able to have the business grant? I have read the information online but unsure for us how it works.

Jeremy535897

I would imagine that your landlord charges a rates inclusive rent? Unless you are on the rating list at 11 March 2020, the council are extremely unlikely to give you a grant. To be eligible, you would have had to have the rooms rated separately from the gym, be on the rating list at 11 March 2020, and qualify for SBRR or RRR. Where there are obvious errors on the ratings list, the council have some discretion about whether to give the grant to someone else, but not in a case like yours.

michbro85

Sorry dont know what your on about with the rates and rating list etc??

Jeremy535897

The council has a list of ratepayers called the rating list. It's like the list they have of council tax payers. If you have never had any contact with the council on rates, you are unlikely to be on the rating list. The best thing to do is contact the council and ask about the grant, but you are unlikely to be eligible.

michbro85

 Oh right, i have emailed them as when i tried ringing the hold function kept putting the phone down after a bit! Very annoying!  But thought maybe someone on here might know.
Its for the business so think its a bit unfair if we cant to help us especially when the government keep going on about trying to help small businesses. People who can actually keep working in rented places are getting it so for us who cant work it would only be fair

p00hsticks

michbro85 said:

Sorry dont know what your on about with the rates and rating list etc??

You can check if your business is on the ratings list here

https://www.gov.uk/correct-your-business-rates

Although as Jeremy says, if you are unaware of it the chances are that the gym is the ratable property and you are simply renting a room in that inclusive of rates

[Deleted User]

I can't be of much help and there are very helpful people on here that can give far better information but at the end of the day this should have been something set out between yourselves and gym owners from the outset within contracts as they will more than likely get the grant for being the rate payer. The government can't disect every work place environment and have to go on something concrete in place to say each room is a separate business entity which it sounds like it isn't so maybe ask the gym owners whether they will receive the grant and if so, will you are to be given anything from it due to loss of income. You can't blame the government for situations like yours. Are the gym still asking for rent for use of each room while it's closed? 

sharpe106

Daveym79 said:

this should have been something set out between yourselves and gym owners from the outset within contracts as they will more than likely get the grant for being the rate payer. T

Don't think this is a situation that could have really been planned for, If you had told people 3 months ago the government were going to give out £10,000 grants you popping candy nobody would have believed you. I think they are just unlucky and are going to be on the companies that probably do not benefit from the grant. Best they can do is to come to some arrangement on the rent.

[Deleted User]

sharpe106 said:

Daveym79 said:

this should have been something set out between yourselves and gym owners from the outset within contracts as they will more than likely get the grant for being the rate payer. T

Don't think this is a situation that could have really been planned for, If you had told people 3 months ago the government were going to give out £10,000 grants you popping candy nobody would have believed you. I think they are just unlucky and are going to be on the companies that probably do not benefit from the grant. Best they can do is to come to some arrangement on the rent.

I think you've misunderstood or maybe I didnt make it overly clear in my point.. Of course I'm not suggesting one can forsee a pandemic occur like this and I wasn't stating a pandemic be mentioned into a contract but surely there was some kind of agreement drawn up from the outset that stated if these 3 seperate rentals pay business rates or if its calculated into the rent which by the sounds of it, it is the later. 

Jeremy535897

Landlords of small premises who pay no rates because of SBRR don't have motivation to get the rating list changed. But tenants should be aware that liability for rates (if any) lies ultimately with the occupier. Where there are shared or sublet spaces it gets more complicated, and you can while away a happy hour or two getting to grips with the VOA manuals on hereditaments and when they can be split.
Here's a taster: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rating-manual-section-3-valuation-principles/part-1-hereditament