you can argue a rent review
on the lease i have i have a rent review due every 5 yrs
i bought an existing lease that had just over 15 yrs left (it was a 20 yr lease)
so the review was due about 2 or 3 months after i took over, i wasnt given any warning beforehand of the proposed rise
someone actually came into my salon and rated it after the review was due and i didnt find out the amount til the following june i think it was....
i expected a slight rise maybe above average rise you know maybe 40 or 50 % but boy was i for a shock
Crawley council had decided that the rent was due to go out by 135%
i cant type what id like to really say about my local council as it just wouldnt be polite
but we did fight the increase and managed to get it knocked down to 115% rise in the end.....
the longer the battle goes on tho you have to be aware that you are still are owing rent even if you are just paying your normal (before increase) amount as they will probabley charge the increase as back rent
i fought for a year... letter to and from the council etc... and in that time still paid the norm... but once we had settled i had rent arears which i am paying back over via direct debit quarterly as well as just my monthly rent
you can take the issue to arbitration but you may find like in my case it will cost you more to do that than you will actually save which is why we didnt take it futher as it was just fighting a losing battle
My local council has done this to lots of the local parades and many small businesses that have been around for years and years have now gone as they couldnt cope with the increase.... its sad that a money grabbing council would do this to small business all the local parades now are being over run with betting shops, takeaways and chiropractors who can afford the high rents
just googled and found this
BBC NEWS | England | Southern Counties | Shop owners concerned over rent
the lady mentioned in the article nolonger has the shop and i think went bankrupt in the end..... so sad shed been there as long as i can remember
just to add to what fificharlie said....
where in west sussex are you?
how many years have you has the lease before the review was due?
is the property council or privately owned that you lease from/?
has any one been in to rate your property or are they just uppping it?
it maybe a good idea to get a surveyor involved
found this too via google
Find local Chartered Building Surveyors for Rent Review surveyor advice survey
hth
and good luck with it all, keep us posted
Jess
xox