The recovery process
If you're having trouble paying your Business Rates, please don't wait to contact us at businessrates@hartlepool.gov.uk. We are here to help.
If we have contacted you about recovery steps, please get in touch with us as soon as you can to avoid further action. Here's what can happen:
- Reminder: If you miss a payment, we'll send you a Reminder Notice
- Summons: If you do not bring your account payments up to date or contact us to set up a new payment plan, you may recieve a Summons to Court.
- Liability Order: If it goes to Court, a Liability Order may be issued. This lets us take steps to recover what you owe, such as:
- sending your case to an Enforcement Agent (Bailiff)
- starting bankruptcy or liquidation
- committal (which means going to prision)
We will do everything we can to help you to avoid these actions, but you need to contact us as soon as possible.