Colette Henshaw

Colette joined us in 2022, from a Global Real Estate consultancy, and leads our Business Rates Tax service.

She is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has 13 years’ experience advising on business rates tax. She has an extensive track record in acting for large FTSE 100 corporates, SMEs and owner managed businesses. Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including Logistics & Industrial, Manufacturing and technology, Construction, Professional Services, Healthcare, Education, Retail, Leisure and Hospitality. She can utilise all business rates rental valuation methods to advise on a wide range of business rates tax assessments. Optimising savings via challenging assessments, advising on empty rates and making appropriate relief applications.

As a Chartered Surveyor Colette as an in-depth knowledge of the real estate investment and occupational market and is well placed to advise on business rates tax assessments. Colette positively implements strategic valuation advice to negotiate and secure best client outcomes.

Notable client work and achievements

• Successful Business Rates challenge and appeal negotiations generating millions of pounds in refunds for clients
• Specialist advice to in-house Finance, Tax and Estate teams to assist with client business rates liability budgeting and forecasting, in addition to challenging business rates tax assessments with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). Leading to significant reductions in business rates tax assessments
• Making necessary relief applications on behalf of clients with relevant local billing authorities
• Assisting with business rates audit work to secure historic credits from local billing authorities
• Ensuring clients comply with government requirements to return information
• Implementation of a bespoke client service to ensure business rates tax liabilities are kept to a minimum throughout the period of each business rates Revaluation and clients can monitor and report progress in real time
• Ensuring business rates liabilities are taken account of throughout the lifecycle of commercial real estate portfolios

Professional qualifications/memberships

• Chartered Surveyor, Member of RICS (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)
• Member of the Business Rates Working Group for the CIOT (Chartered Institute of Taxation)