Client User Guide 1
Analyse LOCAL User Guide Contents 1. Accessing the Analyse LOCAL system 2. The Toolbar 3. The Home page 4. Appeals 5. Threats to RV 6. RV Finder 7. Billing Authority Reports (BARs) 8. User Administration 9. Training 10. Toolkits 11. Key Contacts 2
1. Accessing the Analyse LOCAL System Inform CPI Ltd is committed to helping Authorities identify inaccuracies, omissions and other opportunities to maximise business rates retention. With the introduction Analyse LOCAL we are able to offer a service to identify these opportunities efficiently and effectively. The system is available via our secure link http://al.informcpi.com To log into the system, enter your username and password into the relevant fields the Login screen. The password details are case sensitive they must be entered all in lower case text. Once you have entered your details, click the Login button to enter the system. You will be taken to the Home page for your Authority. If you have forgotten your password, please use the forgotten password function. Passwords can be reset at anytime by an Admin user (see Administration ). 3
2. The Toolbar The Tool Bar is located at the top of all of the Analyse LOCAL pages. It contains the basic functions to view and maintain the system. These are: The Home Page Appeals RV Finder Threats Admin Training Toolkits Useful Links Contact About When navigating around the system, you should save any changes you have made, if required, before using the toolbar. If you don t save changes, these may be lost. 3. The Home Page The Home page is the main landing page of the system. It displays certain headline information about different areas of the system, including a basic chart representation. It also confirms when the logged on user last logged into the system. 4
The Home function can be selected at any time by clicking on the Home button on the toolbar. This will take you directly back to the main Authority front page from anywhere within the system. 4. Appeals The Appeals area is designed to give you control of the Analyse LOCAL estimation tools. It will allow you to Load and evaluate batches of appeals and proposals that have been received from the VOA run calculations to estimate the potential effects of these proposals and appeals, including an assessment of which cases may be withdrawn or dismissed produce reports of the results and findings The loading facility in Analyse LOCAL is available from the Appeals menu. It will only be available for Admin users. To load a list of cases, they must be in the required Excel layout and format. This is usually the format the files are in when delivered by the VOA. Please note: any password protection must be removed, along with any rows above the column headers. Also, the Valuation Office Agency will often supply a file containing all settled and outstanding IPPs which can result in some duplication if not checked. If you require any guidance on this, please contact your Analyse LOCAL Account Manager. The fields/column headers required in the file are as follows (additional columns have been added as preparation for importing all data in a future release): Billing Authority List Year Case No Originating Date Code of Grounds BA Reference Number Description Address Postcode Original RV ( ) Effective Date Settlement Type Rating List Updated New Adopted RV New Effective Date New Address or other outcome 5
New Postcode New BA Reference No New Description The facility has three main stages, as follows: i) Importing Appeal and Proposal Records for Evaluation From the main toolbar, select the Appeals option, and then Appeals Summary. This will take you to the Appeals Summary and Management page, where you can import the file. The summary page also contains a breakdown of the latest estimated RV and yield losses. 6
(i) Importing an Appeals File From the Appeals Summary page, select the Import button. This will open the Import Appeals List screen. Use the Browse button to navigate to the file you want to import. Once selected, click Continue Import. You will be shown a list of the cases to be imported. 7
You can use the scroll bar to look at the cases if required. Once you are happy and want to go ahead, click Import this data to create the Appeal records. Due to changes made to try and identify invalid or duplicated appeals, the import processing time has been extended slightly. Whilst the import is running, you will see a message stating that the import process has started. Whilst this is happening, you can still use the other parts of the system. Check back regularly to see if the process is complete, at which point the message will read Import Complete. Once your import has been completed, the Import screen will give you details of what has been imported. This will be a breakdown showing: The number of appeals available for import The number imported for calculation 8
The number of potentially duplicated appeals The number of appeals where the RV is no longer valid in the rating list for that effective date The number of appeals that have already been settled If any records have been identified as duplicates or invalid RV cases, these are reported via the Appeals Exception Report, which is available under the Appeals menu. Occasionally, you may hit an issue with the file you are trying to import. Analyse LOCAL has been designed to provide an in-built exception report, which will tell you why a record hasn t been imported. You can then update the import file accordingly and re-input if required, by following the import process again from the main Appeals Summary screen. If you encounter any issues you can t correct, contact the Analyse LOCAL team for guidance or assistance. 9
Your latest batch of IPP/appeals will then be evaluated. Once you are happy with the imported records, you can move onto the calculation phase. (ii) Running the Calculation and Estimation Processes The calculation and estimation processes are the main part of the Appeals function. The system is designed to analyse the loaded records and uses a complex array of criteria and other market and trend inputs, including the potential for proposals or appeals to be withdrawn or dismissed, to make an estimate of the overall effect. To start the Calculation process, after a successful import of your latest batch of proposals and appeals, click on the Calculate Appeals button. 10
This can be done from the Import Appeals List screen. This will submit your batch of proposals and appeals to the system s processing queue. The Admin users for your Authority will receive an email message stating that the calculation request has been made. 11
Depending upon how many records have been loaded, and due to the complexity of the estimation process, the calculations may take a short while to finish. So that you can continue to use Analyse LOCAL, the request will be queued and run in the background. Once the calculation process is complete, a further email will be sent to Admin users advising that the results are available in Analyse LOCAL. 12
(iii) Viewing the Summary Screen and Reports Once the calculation and estimation processes have been completed, the results will be posted to a number of areas within the system. The Appeals Summary page: this is the main area within the system where the results will be displayed. The Summary display gives details of: Date of last import Number of appeals imported Number of appeals calculated Net losses in rateable value and yield 13
Appeals Reports and Statements When a batch of proposal or appeal records is processed, a number of reports are produced giving summaries and full case breakdowns of the estimate. The reports can be accessed from the Appeals tab on the main toolbar. Appeals Summary Report - gives totals aimed to assist with the completion of various government returns. Appeals Data Report this is a full list of all imported appeals, giving a year by year breakdown of gross yield losses. Statement of Approach and Audit Response these are documents outlining our assumptions and approach in producing estimates for internal and external audit purposes. Clicking on the required report opens it in an online viewer, but they can also be exported in various formats, using the Save icon. We recommend Word or PDF for the summary reports and Excel for the Appeals Data Report. 14
5. Threats The Analyse LOCAL threats area is designed to provide the means to estimate the potential threat to the rateable value of certain types of hereditament, either from future appeals or from the knock on effect of rating list reductions for comparable properties. The RV threat estimation tools are available via the Threats menu on the main toolbar. This gives the following options: Threats to RV: this is the main estimation function. Threats Summary Report: this is a report that summarises the estimate, giving analysis of hereditament type, category, etc Statement of Approach: This is a document outlining our assumptions and approach in producing Threat estimates, for internal and external audit purposes. Threats to Rateable Value (RV) This is the main part of the estimation function. It allows interaction with estimate records and allows you to drill into the portfolio to see more detail and to make changes where further information comes to light. 15
The main portfolio is broken down into valuation categories. This allows the system to group similar types of hereditament for reporting purposes. For a further summary, click on each category to see the affected property types. Category Details You can view the vulnerable hereditaments within a category by selecting it from the summary page. Click on the one you want to view, and the summary page for that category will be displayed. 16
This summary displays the following: The various property types to which the category relates. The number of potentially vulnerable hereditaments within each property type. The total RV for the properties concerned. The potential losses to RV and yield. Selecting an individual property type will enable the user to view the list of the potentially vulnerable hereditaments. This display provides a summary of the key information relating to the property. This includes; the property reference, the address, the 2017 rateable value and the potential RV and yield losses. 17
Clicking on an individual address will open an expanded view, providing information relating to the potential future effects of a challenge on the yield of each assessment. (* Yield losses are calculated back to 01/04/2017 due to the restrictions on the backdating of appeals) 18
Threats Reports Two separate reports are provided as part of the Threats to RV estimation facility: Threats Report this gives an overall summary of estimated threats. This is further analysed into sector and hereditament type. 19
Statement of Approach this document outlines our assumptions and approach in producing estimates for internal and external audit purposes. 20
6. RV Finder The RV Finder functionality will be the main area of use for the majority of Analyse LOCAL users. It is the part of the system where: cases of potential additional RV can be passed to you by the Analyse LOCAL team, including the type of case, a description of what s been found and details of potential additional yield you can assign and manage your caseload you can browse or search for particular records you can amend or update records to reflect work done on particular cases you can generate individual hereditament reports to use as case documents or for import to other systems (e.g. document management systems) All RV Finder functions are accessed from the RV Finder tab on the main toolbar. i) Browsing Records The Browse records facility allows you to search through all RV Finder records within your Authority s portfolio, regardless of which caseworker is linked to them. The records in the Browse page are grouped by status. To see the records within each grouping, click the status. 21
The records are presented as a grid to select a record to view or update, click on the address. This will take you to the RV Finder record for that hereditament. You can also search for specific records using the Search facility. This is accessed by clicking on the magnifying-glass icon. This will open the Search box so that you can carry out a search. There are two main search fields: Address: this can be any part of the address, be it the number, street, etc., apart from the postcode Postcode: this can be all or part of the postcode Enter your search data and click Search. Your search results will be shown in a grid view. Again, you can select the required record by clicking on the address. ii) Caseload Management My Caseload When an RV Finder record is allocated to caseworker, it becomes part of that user s caseload. In order to make the system easier to use, we have added a My Caseload function. This groups each user s records together, making them easier to manage. In order for a case to appear in your Caseload, you must be selected as the caseworker. To do so select your name from the drop-down menu and press Save changes on the Property Record Page. This case will then automatically appear in your Caseload. 22
To show your caseload, from the RV Finder menu select My Caseload Summary. This will display a summary of the records allocated to you, grouped together by their current status. For example, all of the cases where the status is Billing Authority Report submitted will be grouped together. If you click on the BA Status for the group that you want to look at, the grouped records will be shown underneath. You can then just click on the required entry to open the RV Finder record for that hereditament. iii) Create New Record Analyse LOCAL allows you to create your own records within the system. This allows you to keep account of all your hereditaments in one system and alert the Analyse LOCAL team of any cases that you are monitoring. To create a new case, select Create new record from the RV Finder menu. 23
A blank RV Finder record will be created. You must complete the relevant fields within the RV Finder record in order to create the case. iv) Amending the RV Finder Record The RV Finder record is broken down into a number of key areas, relating to the hereditament, the type and details of the case and the potential additional yield that may be generated. In general, any of the fields on the RV Finder record can be edited. This gives flexibility to amend the records to reflect any subsequent Billing Authority Reports submitted to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) IMPORTANT: Whenever you make any changes to the RV Finder record, always remember to click the Save Changes button. Hereditament Details The Hereditament details area contains details of the hereditament and it s existing, or potential new, rating list entry. Property Address and Post Code: this will be the existing or new address of the property the record relates to. If you enter the postcode, click the Find address button and select the address from a list of hereditaments this will automatically populate the rest of the fields. Alternatively you can fill them out manually. BA Property Ref: this will be the existing property reference. If a new hereditament, it will be blank 24
PSD Code and Description: these will be populated based on the existing rating list entry. If a new hereditament, the Analyse LOCAL team will use details relevant to the case BA Report Number: this field should be used to record the BA Report number of the report you send to the VOA Caseworker: Once the record is created, the Caseworker drop down will appear. The Caseworker field allows you to allocate a case to a particular user (inclusion in the Caseworker list is controlled through the User Admin facility) If the case is created by the Analyse LOCAL team, then all of the fields will be populated, however if you are setting up a new case then all field will have to be filled out manually. Information tabs contain various important pieces of information relating to the case. Case Details Tab Case Type: this is set by the Analyse LOCAL team. The case type will reflect the reason for the change in the valuation. This could be because it is a new hereditament, a structural change, due to a material change in circumstances, etc. 25
BA Status: the case management side of the system is based on status codes. This should be set to reflect where each case is up to. For example, when a BA Report has been issued to the VOA, the status Billing Authority Report submitted should be selected. BAR Report Reason: Align with relevant report codes. Planning Reference: Contains the reference of any relevant planning information. OS Grid Reference: This field will be populated for hereditaments that may otherwise be difficult to locate. Case Description: the case description is an explanation of the main details of the case. It will outline exactly what has been found, the potential effect on the valuation and, where appropriate, how the change has been valued Property Assessment Reports The Property Assessments Report (PAR) contains additional information to support the case and potential additional RV estimate. They are a valuable resource both internally, for use by inspectors or visiting officers, and as supporting documentation when issuing a Billing Authority Report (BAR). The PAR will contain additional information relating to the case and illustrating our research, including images, maps and diagrams, and measurement information. A PAR is created for all cases within the Analyse LOCAL system and are saved within each case. They can be accessed by clicking on the PAR & Documents button in the details of the screen. The PAR & Documents area also allows you to save any documents that you may have for that case. Simply browse for the record and then select upload. This feature is especially useful if you chose to create your own cases. 26
RV & Yields Tab Current RV: this will be the current RV from the rating list. If the case involves a new hereditament with no current rating list entry, it will be blank or zero (0). Potential New RV: This is the figure we have calculated as the possible new RV for the hereditament based on our findings. This will include any end allowances and an adjustment for rounding Difference in RV: This is the difference between the Current RV and the Potential new RV, and reflects the extra rateable value that we believe the case could achieve Effective Date: this is our estimated effective date of the change. This field is editable and should be amended to reflect the effective date used on any BA Reports that you send to the VOA Contact Details Tab The Contact details tab can be used to store any contact details relating to the case. This may be: the occupier the owner a letting or estate agent 27
Contact details will usually be entered by the Analyse LOCAL team in cases where the hereditament is new. Key Dates Tab This section contains all of the relevant dates relating to the case. Notes Tab In addition to the BA Status entries, there is the facility to add notes to a record. These can be used to record any other details or information beyond the standard record fields; for example details of additional inspections, etc. To add a note, simply type the relevant information you with to record into the toolbar, and select the Add Note button. This grid holds any notes added to the record, with the latest note displayed at the top. It shows: the date the note was made the detail of the note the caseworker who entered it 28
Updating Cases It is vital that you keep the BA Status up to date and that it accurately reflects progress so far. This will ensure that the Status Report and Caseload is up to date, and that you are getting maximum benefit from the system. Any case that is in your caseload will already have a BA Status selected by the Analyse LOCAL team. This status will always begin with New Case. If you don t think there is a BA Status in the menu that reflects the current status, and you wish to have one added, please contact the Analyse LOCAL team. When any alteration or update is made to the case, you should change the BA Status to reflect this. For example when a Billing Authority Report is submitted you should change the status to Billing Authority Report submitted, along with adding the BA Report number to the 29
relevant field. This allows you to monitor where you are up to with each case and can alert the Analyse LOCAL team if you require any additional information. The Status Report This is a report of the current status of RV Finder records in your Authority s portfolio. It can be used to provide a working document to help with work allocation, or as the starting point for internal reporting. 30
The report lists the following for each case: Contact Name: the relevant name if contact details have been entered on the record Property Address: this is the hereditament address and postcode Pot New RV: this is the potential additional rateable value that could be attained BA Prop Ref: this is the Billing Authority property reference or UPRN, as held in the rating list. Status: this is the current BA status that the record is at Effective Date: this is the date of the latest Status change Caseworker: this is the caseworker or officer the record is assigned to Exporting the Report Analyse LOCAL reports are generated in an online preview. To export these, as an Excel spreadsheet, or a Word or pdf file, use the Export function. Click the Export icon, and select the type of file you require. You will then be prompted to Open or Save the file. Click Open so that you can review the file before saving it as required. 31
7. Billing Authority Reports (BARs) As part of the Analyse LOCAL service, we can provide a completed Billing Authority Report (BAR) for each case. The BAR template we usually provide has been designed in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency s Best Practise Guidelines and includes all required fields. However, we can also use any template provide to us. The completed BAR can be produced by our Analysts at an agreed frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.). This will be sent to a designated member of your team along with the Property Assessment Reports (PARs) to be reviewed and sent on to the VOA directly. Whilst the records will still be populated within Analyse LOCAL for you to check and update, use of our BAR service will reduce the need to check individual cases within the system before deciding on the appropriate action, simplifying the submission process. The Analyse LOCAL team can also submit Billing Authority Reports directly the Valuation Office agency. To discuss the BAR service and the options available, please contact your Analyse LOCAL account manager. 32
8. User Administration The User Administration function gives an area where you can manage your own users, by giving individual log-ins. It can be accessed via the Admin button on the main toolbar. To add a new user, simply click the Add+ tab. The user creation screen will be displayed. Fill in all of the fields for the new user, including selecting what type of user they will be. There are currently two options: Admin this level gives access to be able to set up other users, as well as use of the Appeals facility, so they can import and value IPPs/appeals for estimation. If set up as an Admin user, an email address should also be added. User this is the basic system user. They will not have access to set up other users or the Appeals facility. This level of user set up is aimed at those mainly using the RV Finder functions. When setting up users, we recommend using the users first and last names as a username (for example John Smith ). The password can be any combination of letters and/or numbers. Once all relevant fields have been completed, click the Add button. The new user will be added to the list of permitted users. Once the initial set up has been carried out, select User Administration. Then select the user you have just created. 33
Within their user record, you will see a tick box called Appear in drop downs. If you want the user to be available from the Caseworker menu in RV Finder records, put a tick in the box. Then click Save. 9. Training The training menu is used to hold any parts of the system relating to procedures and training. The current options are: i) The Analyse LOCAL Client User Guide ii) IRRV Transition Manual iii) A link to the IRRV s online training package iv) The Analyse LOCAL Training Videos For details of the IRRV training package, please contact your Analyse LOCAL account manager. These functions are located under the Training tab within the system. i) Client User Guide The Client User Guide is an extensive document detailing all of the key areas of the system. It can be downloaded and printed at any time. 34
ii) IRRV Transition Manual This link contains the downloadable IRRV Transition Manual 2017. iii) IRRV Training This section contains a link to the IRRV s online training package. 35
iv) The Analyse LOCAL Training Videos This is the area of the system that contains the Training Videos, which give a step by step guide to using Analyse Local on a day to day basis. They are available in subtitled format. 36
10. Toolkit The Toolkit area of Analyse LOCAL will contain our new and future NNDR tools designed to assist with the implementation and management of business rates. You will be kept up to date with any new or planned toolkit items. i) Rating List Report This report contains a copy of the current rating list for your authority. It is broken down into 4 main areas, and can be exported in various formats. 37
Firstly, the report contains a summary of the rating list totals. Secondly, the report displays an analysis of the rating list by type of hereditament (based on PSD code). 38
Thirdly, a full copy of the current rating list (as at the date the report has been run) is included for your authority. Finally, the report contains a list of all rating list schedule changes. 39
ii) S44a estimation tool This is designed to help users to estimate the possible effect on yield of the application of relief for a part-occupied hereditament. It is based on the summary valuation information from the VOA, so can only be used for bulk class hereditaments that have a current valuation breakdown. It allows users to select the areas of the valuation that are part-occupied, and calculate the elements that are not in use in order to build an estimated value. You can then use the effective date to estimate the potential gross yield loss. From the Toolkit menu, select S44a RV Estimation Tool. This will open the main screen. Click the Search button to start the process. In the Search screen, enter the hereditament s post code, part of the address or the BA property reference number. Then click Find address. Pick the relevant hereditament from the search results by clicking on the address, then click OK. This will pull the valuation details for your hereditament into the S44a tool, ready for the estimation process. Firstly, click in the Floor/Description box. This will give a list of the valued areas to select from. 40
Select the required area and the details will be populated. You can then enter the m 2 value of the unoccupied area (please note: any other values such as yard 2 or feet 2 must be converted first). Click on the blank part of the screen to accept the value and see the values for the area entered. You can add additional areas using the Add Valuation Line function. Once you have entered all of the unoccupied areas, enter an effective date. Click in the effective date field and select a date using the calendar. When you have selected a date, click Recalculate. This will work out the relevant end date and the potential gross yield loss. The results can be exported by using the export options at the top of the screen. You can also use the Clear button to restart the process. 41
iii) Completion Notice Tools This area of the system provides a variety of tools to assist users with issuing Completion Notices. 1) When to Serve - Guidance on the criteria that must be satisfied before a Completion Notice can be served, a checklist and a flowchart. 2) How to Serve - Details the information required with the Completion Notice and an easy to use Completion Notice template. Clicking on the required button will take you to an online preview of the information. 42
The When to Serve Checklist will open a list of the information required before issuing a Completion Notice, which can be downloaded. 43
Then When to Serve Flow Chart tool allows users to download and print a step-by-step guide for determining whether a Completion Notice should be issued. 44
When to Serve Guidance Provides more detailed information. 45
A Checklist to assist with serving a Completion Notice is also provided. For a straightforward and timely service, we have created a template Completion Notice. The relevant information can be added, and the notice printed off to serve. 46
Finally, a link to the Valuation Tribunal Service website has also been included. 47
11. Key contacts: Account Managers: Luke Gorham Ashleigh Abiona Tel: 0203 056 6890 Tel: 0203 451 8700 Email: l.gorham@informcpi.com Email: a.abiona@informcpi.com Sam Daniels Tel: 07384 216591 Email: s.daniels@informcpi.com Research Team Manager: Mike Fairhurst Tel: 0161 871 2884 Email: m.fairhurst@informcpi.com Research Team Leaders: Hannah Sutcliffe Thomas Horne Tel: 0161 393 6210 Tel: 0161 669 8878 Email: h.sutcliffe@informcpi.com t.horne@informcpi.com Henry Dunn Alex Bolton Tel: 0161 669 8875 Tel: 0161 669 8872 Email: h.dunn@informcpi.com Email: a.bolton@informcpi.com Katy Butler-Jones Aaron Thomas Tel: 0161 669 8873 Tel: 0161 669 8876 Email: k.butler-jones@informcpi.com Email: a.thomas@informcpi.com Ed Harmer Joel Stevens-Leach Tel: 0161 871 2886 Tel: 0161 669 8170 Email: e.harmer@informcpi.com Email: j.stevensleach@informcpi.com 48