1st Flr 20 Old Bailey, EC4M 7AN
Office and Premises Decided 31 July 2025 CHG100547679 Knight Frank
Figures are as stated in the decision, and are values in the 2017 list; a dash means the document does not state that figure. This judgement decided 12 properties together; the figures above are for this appeal's property (1ST FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4). Every property is listed below.
The 12 properties in this decision
One judgement covered all of these appeals. Each property’s figures as the judgement states them (2017 list); this appeal’s property is highlighted.
| Property | Original RV | Sought | Tribunal decided | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT LGND FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | £242,000 | — | £260,000 | Allowed in part |
| PT GND FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £410,000 | Allowed in part |
| 1ST FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4This appeal | — | — | £890,000 | Allowed in part |
| 2ND FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £1,200,000 | Allowed in part |
| 2ND FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £1,200,000 | Allowed in part |
| 3RD & 4TH FLRS, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £2,330,000 | Allowed in part |
| 3RD & 4TH FLRS, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £2,160,000 | Allowed in part |
| 3RD & 4TH FLRS, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £2,330,000 | Allowed in part |
| PT GND FLR NORTH, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £249,000 | Allowed in part |
| PT GND FLR NORTH, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £230,000 | Allowed in part |
| PT GND FLR NORTH, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £249,000 | Allowed in part |
| PT 5TH FLR WEST-9TH FLR, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4 | — | — | £3,270,000 | Allowed in part |
What was argued and what the tribunal found
The appellants, represented by Savills and other agents, challenged the 2017 rating list entries for office suites at 20 Old Bailey, London, contending the unadjusted base rate of £525 psm was unreasonable and proposing £475 psm (later reduced from £450 psm). The tribunal reviewed rental evidence from within the subject building and comparable properties (10 Old Bailey at £480 psm and 60 Ludgate Hill at £550 psm), finding the subject property was superior to the former but inferior to the latter. Although 10 Old Bailey and 60 Ludgate Hill were newly built (2009 and 2015 respectively) whereas the subject was refurbished in 2018, the tribunal found a difference in tone between newly built and refurbished properties. The tribunal determined the original RV was unreasonable and reduced the unadjusted base rate to £500 psm, allowing the appeals in part as this was less favourable than the appellants' £475 psm proposal.
Summary generated from the decision text and checked against it. The appellant was Withers LLP, represented.
Grounds argued
- Comparable assessments (tone) · decisive
- Rental evidence
- Evidence
- Rents, Settled assessments, Photographs
- Cases cited
- Gardiner & Theobald LLP v David Jackson (VO) [2018] UKUT 0253 (LC); Denton v TH White Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 906; Dawn Bunyan (VO) v Acenden Limited [2023] UKUT 17 (LC)
- Hearing
- 1 July 2025
Similar decisions
- LUTRON (INC 101-106 FENCHURCH STREET), PT 4TH F 52-54, LEADENHALL STREET, EC3A 2BJ — Allowed in part, 25 Sept 2026
- 5 TH FLR 1, BARTHOLOMEW LANE, EC2N 2AX — Dismissed, 10 Sept 2026
- Petronas Energy Trading Ltd, Petronas Energy Trading Ltd, EC4M 7AW — Dismissed, 20 Jul 2026
- Equistone Partners Europe Limited, PT 6TH FLR 60 Ludgate Hill, EC4M 7AW — Dismissed, 20 Jul 2026
All decisions in City of London Corporation · Offices nationally
Is your own rateable value in line?
A free check compares a property with the assessments around it and says plainly whether there is anything worth pursuing.
Check a propertyThe tribunal’s decision in full
Decision © Crown copyright, published by the Valuation Tribunal Service under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and reproduced unaltered. This site does not index the names of private individuals that appear in decisions. Information, not advice.