17 Pulteney Road, BA2 4EZ

What was argued and what the tribunal found

The appellant challenged the rateable value of a guest house with six en-suite bedrooms on the grounds that the DBU (Double Bed Unit) classification was excessive. The Valuation Officer had classified all rooms as suites at a DBU factor of 1.5, resulting in an RV of £19,500. The tribunal determined that the rooms should be classified as standard double rooms at a DBU factor of 1.0, not suites, as they lacked the characteristic two-room layout of a suite and the spaciousness was typical of Victorian guest houses in the locality. The tribunal therefore allowed the appeal and set the RV at £7,100 based on a room rate of £1,250 per room with a DBU count of 5.7 (six rooms at 1.0 factor, less a 15% reduction for second-floor rooms).

Summary generated from the decision text and checked against it. The appellant was an individual ratepayer, represented.

Grounds argued

• Valuation method · decisive

Evidence

Photographs, None from the ratepayer

Hearing

6 February 2024

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