Marina fees

[Momac]

........ I have spoken to my manager at my marina via e mail, and he was very tight lipped on what to do......

So you haven't spoken to your manager at all . Nor he to you. How can anyone speak or be tight lipped in an email? Sound like an all round communications disaster !

Try a phone call and try speaking with him , rather than to him.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Normally that would be sound advice but many places are asking for contact to be by email only right now.

There is a post on another thread where a boat owner was told his boat would be charged at the higher summer rates but they wouldn't let him remove the boat, so he simply arranged for a local towage contractor to remove it on his behalf. Such lateral thinking is to be commended.

Probably less useful where there is a lock to be negotiated

 

[Momac]

Normally that would be sound advice but many places are asking for contact to be by email only right now.

Communication is the key to most issues .
Send an email asking for a phone call back.

 

[Blue Sunray]

They have a cute PR line about how their owners are Wellcome and how their profits go to that to help research into Covid.

It's not so much a PR line as fact that Wellcome exists to finance and promote health research which of course includes work on Covid 19,

 

[lionelz]

So you haven't spoken to your manager at all . Nor he to you. How can anyone speak or be tight lipped in an email? Sound like an all round communications disaster !

Try a phone call and try speaking with him , rather than to him.

Lol in Your opinion, what a poor response maybe try not to be so arrogant next time! it's a form of communication they are not working full time so it was suitable enough for what was needed. They are on limited staffing levels. Clearly you have a lack of communication yourself, do you know what was in my e-mails? Do you know in what manner he responded ? So basically you know nothing ! Maybe you should work on your communications you you are not very good at it.

 

[Momac]

Lol in Your opinion, what a poor response maybe try not to be so arrogant next time! it's a form of communication they are not working full time so it was suitable enough for what was needed. They are on limited staffing levels. Clearly you have a lack of communication yourself, do you know what was in my e-mails? Do you know in what manner he responded ? So basically you know nothing ! Maybe you should work on your communications you you are not very good at it.

I still recommend you might understand the situation better if you speak with the manager rather than sending emails .

 

[Blue Sunray]

Lol in Your opinion, what a poor response maybe try not to be so arrogant next time! it's a form of communication they are not working full time so it was suitable enough for what was needed. They are on limited staffing levels. Clearly you have a lack of communication yourself, do you know what was in my e-mails? Do you know in what manner he responded ? So basically you know nothing ! Maybe you should work on your communications you you are not very good at it.

QED

 

[BruceK]

QED

Proper grammar school boy that needs to QEF a QED.

 

[Chi Man]

How much would rates be for a 500 berth marina.

Fyi

 

[Seastoke]

FyiView attachment 88558

It doesn’t say how much they pay

 

[Dorset Dan]

The payable rates are, I believe, about 50p for each £1 of rateable value under the standard multiple.

 

[Chi Man]

It doesn’t say how much they pay

Chichesterbusiness rates are
The multiplier is the number of pence per pound of your rateable value you will pay.
From 1 April 2020 there are two multipliers:

• 0.499
• 0.512

The lower multiplier is used where:

• the rateable value is £50,999 or lower, and
• the property is occupied, and
• the ratepayer is not in receipt of a mandatory relief (e.g. charity or rural)

The higher multiplier is used where:

• the rateable value is £51,000 and over, or
• the property is empty, or
• the ratepayer is in receipt of a mandatory relief (e.g. charity or rural)

 

[TwoHooter]

As a direct result of the crisis our income has fallen to 39% of pre-crisis level, partly because we are giving rent holidays to tenants who have been closed down or made redundant. I'm also a director of a company which has given rent holidays (and in one case received a peremptory letter from a large pub operator which said they will simply stop paying rent).
We are now living off savings. We have always been careful and fortunately we do have some savings.
The boat is now our biggest single monthly expense. I'm hopeful that our marina is starting to think about some reduction in rent because I understand they are furloughing some employees (which means the government will pay the salaries) and are in receipt of the business rates relief for the whole of 2020/21 (link).
If they don't volunteer a rent reduction I'm going to request it politely.
At the very least we ought to get the benefit of the rates relief.

 

[Seastoke]

As a direct result of the crisis our income has fallen to 39% of pre-crisis level, partly because we are giving rent holidays to tenants who have been closed down or made redundant. I'm also a director of a company which has given rent holidays (and in one case received a peremptory letter from a large pub operator which said they will simply stop paying rent).
We are now living off savings. We have always been careful and fortunately we do have some savings.
The boat is now our biggest single monthly expense. I'm hopeful that our marina is starting to think about some reduction in rent because I understand they are furloughing some employees (which means the government will pay the salaries) and are in receipt of the business rates relief for the whole of 2020/21 (link).
If they don't volunteer a rent reduction I'm going to request it politely.
At the very least we ought to get the benefit of the rates relief.

Ours have been halved for April, with a review for may.

 

[volvopaul]

As a direct result of the crisis our income has fallen to 39% of pre-crisis level, partly because we are giving rent holidays to tenants who have been closed down or made redundant. I'm also a director of a company which has given rent holidays (and in one case received a peremptory letter from a large pub operator which said they will simply stop paying rent).
We are now living off savings. We have always been careful and fortunately we do have some savings.
The boat is now our biggest single monthly expense. I'm hopeful that our marina is starting to think about some reduction in rent because I understand they are furloughing some employees (which means the government will pay the salaries) and are in receipt of the business rates relief for the whole of 2020/21 (link).
If they don't volunteer a rent reduction I'm going to request it politely.
At the very least we ought to get the benefit of the rates relief.

I’d be interested to hear which Marina you are in or group , PM if you don’t want it public.

 

[Chi Man]

As a direct result of the crisis our income has fallen to 39% of pre-crisis level, partly because we are giving rent holidays to tenants who have been closed down or made redundant. I'm also a director of a company which has given rent holidays (and in one case received a peremptory letter from a large pub operator which said they will simply stop paying rent).
We are now living off savings. We have always been careful and fortunately we do have some savings.
The boat is now our biggest single monthly expense. I'm hopeful that our marina is starting to think about some reduction in rent because I understand they are furloughing some employees (which means the government will pay the salaries) and are in receipt of the business rates relief for the whole of 2020/21 (link).
If they don't volunteer a rent reduction I'm going to request it politely.
At the very least we ought to get the benefit of the rates relief.

Good luck, I have tried asking politely for waiver/discount but with no joy, but an interesting and rather veiled threat as to if I do not pay and a rather clumsy attempt to discount the time my boat is ashore on their hardstanding and no staff to put it back in the water..."once your free of charge 8 weeks ashore have been exhausted we will not be charging any additional storage fees."

 

[TwoHooter]

I’d be interested to hear which Marina you are in or group , PM if you don’t want it public.

PM sent

 

[jon and michie]

It would be nice if marinas would give a little grace even if it was a say the duration of lock down for e.g if lock down was for 2 months then 14 months for a 12 month contract.
However in reality the Marina can and will probably say that the lockdown period decision was the government's not theirs and you pay the contract whether the boat is on the hard or in the water.
without sounding downgrading - but basically marinas - caravan parks etc are just storage areas - you wouldn't expect a discount from Pickfords for storing your items that you cannot access.
jon

 

[colhel]

I don't see marina's as just storage areas. If my boat was locked up in a shed or on the hard behind locked gates , this in my book would be storage. Maybe this is why there's some disagreement here and confusion by marina operators as to how to approach this issue.

 

[Dorset Dan]

As a direct result of the crisis our income has fallen to 39% of pre-crisis level, partly because we are giving rent holidays to tenants who have been closed down or made redundant. I'm also a director of a company which has given rent holidays (and in one case received a peremptory letter from a large pub operator which said they will simply stop paying rent).
We are now living off savings. We have always been careful and fortunately we do have some savings.
The boat is now our biggest single monthly expense. I'm hopeful that our marina is starting to think about some reduction in rent because I understand they are furloughing some employees (which means the government will pay the salaries) and are in receipt of the business rates relief for the whole of 2020/21 (link).
If they don't volunteer a rent reduction I'm going to request it politely.
At the very least we ought to get the benefit of the rates relief.

That is a very good point - it does seem that Marina's will be included within the 'Leisure' category: Financial Guidance

My marina (MDL Cobbs Quay) has a £365,000 rateable value so will be saving something in the region of £182,500 plus presumably the £25,000 business support grant, plus furlough support.

PLUS of course most of the onsite tenant businesses will be getting £10,000 (as SBRR) as well as furlough support (albeit I do have sympathy for any small business at present).

It is one thing accepting that you are still paying for your boat to sit in a secure marina but if you can't access it nor use the services that the marina usually offers (but at present doesn't need to as no berth holders are present) AND it gets a good chunk of government support then surely a 50% discount in 'lockdown' months would be fair.

And then it gets my goat a little, that liveaboards (who shouldn't be liveaboards anyway at our marina - naughty MDL turning a blind eye) are allowed to continue to benefit from facilities - being the party who get most vfm from their marina fees anyway.

Rant over but MDL and others really should sort out something (like it sounds Dean & Reddyhoff have done) to make it fair to berth holders.