A petition asking for estate and letting agents to have business rates relief during the coronavirus crisis has been launched by the owner of a high street independent.

By yesterday, it had attracted over 4,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, Propertymark agents are being urged to contact their MPs to press for business rates relief to be extended. Propertymark says it has been “hounding” senior civil servants for the exemption. It has written a letter template for Propertymark members to be able to send on to their own MPs.

Alan Bevan, of City Residential in Liverpool, told the Telegraph yesterday that excluding agents from business rates relief is “farcical”, adding: “If funeral directors can get rates relief, why not estate agents?

“Quite a few of my friends and colleagues say that they are simply not going to pay business rates from next month onwards. You can understand that mentality in an industry that has been battered by regulation in the last 18 months.

“It is looking at a ‘fall off the cliff’ scenario.”

The new petition has been launched by Ben Madden, managing director of Thorgills, a one-branch business in west London employing 40 people. It is asking for the same business rates relief as other high street firms.

Madden said that his own firm, like others in the industry, “is facing the harsh reality of a drastic reduction in revenue”.

He said: “Each day the Government releases new measures to control the spread of the virus and protect what has become an increasingly fragile economy, but so far other businesses on the high street have been promised support by way of relief from paying business rates, but estate and lettings agencies won’t receive this.”

The petition to Chancellor Rishi Sunak asks for this to change, saying the plea “is on behalf of all UK estate and lettings agencies”.

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