Introduced earlier this year, the standards aim to tackle dishonest and misleading practices by setting clear expectations around behaviour, professional conduct, and customer service.
Three business rates agents have since been temporarily suspended while the agency investigates serious potential breaches.
Subsequently, the Government agency has pledged to take further action against fraudulent traders and urged businesses to protect themselves.
This follows last month’s pledge from the Treasury to set lower multipliers for pub business rates in the upcoming autumn budget.
While firms in the UK do not need to use an agent to manage their business rates accounts, it is their responsibility to ensure the information an agent provides to the VOA is correct.
The VOA advised those using business rates agents to watch out for promises of big reductions in rates, as they often do this by submitting inaccurate information, which could result in penalties or increased bills.
Rogue agents
In addition, rogue agents may also charge substantial fees for providing poor quality submissions. The VOA said this behaviour commonly occurs around billing periods and when property valuations are updated.
The VOA added operators should be cautious of any agent that tries to pressure them into making a decision or signing a contact as well as those claiming to be acting on behalf of the VOA or forwarding emails from the agency.
Demanding large sums of money upfront or making claims about ‘unclaimed credits’ were also red flags highlighted by the Government agency.
The VOA advised operators to protect themselves by ensuring they read all small print on any contract to fully understand the total cost and length of the contractual period.
Checking online reviews, appointing agents that are registered with a professional body, and asking other local businesses or trade bodies for advice were other ways the VOA suggested firms could protect themselves.
The Government also urged firms to keep up to date with what their business rates agent is doing and check accounts regularly to make sure details are up to date.
Clear standards
A VOA spokesperson told The Morning Advertiser (The MA): “Our focus is on identifying the small minority of agents who engage in poor or non-compliant behaviour and practices. We will seek to work with the agent to resolve any difficulties or issues first.
“We take it extremely seriously when agents do not meet the clear standards we set regarding their behaviour, professional practice and the service they provide to their customers.
“If we receive information that suggests an agent has breached our standards we’ll investigate and take appropriate action, which could include refusing to deal with the agent altogether and publishing their details online.”
The spokesperson added the VOA’s ‘check and challenge’ service is free to use and can be accessed online and advised customers to report any potential breaches of standards to the VOA.
Businesses experiencing contractual issues with business rates agents should contact Citizens Advice to report the company to trading standards. Anyone who believes they are a victim of fraud can make a report to Action Fraud.
