Find the dates first. Then understand the rest.
Enforcement notices, planning refusals, business rates and other council letters, read in plain English. Every date and requirement on one page, with the questions to take to a planning surveyor or planning consultant.
Launch price £49 for up to 10 pages. Standard price £99 from 1 February 2027.Standard price £99 from 1 February 2027
£49
up to 10 pages, then £3 a page
In England, an enforcement notice appeal must arrive before the notice takes effect. GOV.UK says: “Your appeal must be received before the date the enforcement notice takes effect.”
A planning contravention notice has its own deadline. Government guidance says failing to complete or return one within 21 days is an offence.
We don't calculate or watch deadlines. If a date is close, act on it now. Don't wait for a pack.
Free help first.
- GOV.UK and the Planning Inspectorate.
Step-by-step guides to appealing an enforcement notice or a refusal. In England, the Planning Inspectorate decides planning appeals. Its customer support team can help you use the online appeal service: 0303 444 5000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.
Appeal an enforcement notice - Business rates.
GOV.UK says you can manage your business rates yourself. Your council helps with the bill and rate relief; the Valuation Office helps with your rateable value. Firms in the RICS Helpline Scheme give the first 30 minutes of a consultation call free.
GOV.UK: business rates advice - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Free, for complaints about how a council has acted, once you've been through the council's own complaints process. It isn't an appeals body and can't remake a council's decision: a planning appeal is a separate route. What it can look at
How to complain
Who usually handles it: a planning surveyor, chartered or not, or a planning consultant with significant professional planning experience. This page covers planning in England.
What people bring us.
An enforcement notice.
What the council says the breach is, what it wants done or stopped, and by when.
A planning contravention notice.
The questions it asks, and the date to reply.
A breach of condition notice.
Which condition, and the steps it requires. Government guidance says there's no right of appeal to the Secretary of State against one: it can be challenged only by judicial review in the High Court. Speak to a solicitor quickly.
A refused planning application.
The reasons given, and the date on the decision letter. In England, you can usually appeal a householder refusal for up to 12 weeks, and other refused planning applications for up to 6 months. Some other kinds of appeal have less time, so check GOV.UK. You have less time if you've had an enforcement notice in the last 2 years.
A business rates bill or valuation letter.
The amounts, the rateable value and the dates.
A licensing letter or other council notice.
What it asks of you, and what it says happens next. Guide : A licensing letter or other council notice
What we mark for you.
- Every date: when it takes effect, when to reply, when to comply.
- What the council says you've done, in its own words.
- What it requires you to do or stop, step by step.
- Who the notice is addressed to, and the land or building it covers.
Each point is pinned to its page, with a question to ask. A star marks wording that may help you.
What a pack does, and doesn't do.
Does
- Explains what the notice or letter says
- Lists every date and requirement
- Writes your questions for a planning surveyor, planning consultant or solicitor
Doesn't
- Lodge an appeal or reply for you
- Deal with the council or the Planning Inspectorate
- Advise whether to appeal, apply or comply
What a first step can cost.
£354–£506
Selected court guideline rates for a senior solicitor's hour, inc. VAT: not a market range or a quote.1
Appealing an enforcement notice
GOV.UK says there's no fee for appealing, unless you also apply for planning permission.
Planning surveyors and consultants
Ask for a fee quote before you instruct anyone.
Read it first for £49. Go into that first call with the dates and the council's wording already found.
See my priceFind someone: RICS Find a Surveyor · Law Society Find a Solicitor
Know the dates, then decide.
Preparation for advice, not advice. We don't contact the council. If a notice gives a date, act on it now.