General Rate Act 1967

81 Supplementary provisions as to proceedings.

(1) Any person may include in the same proposal, objection or other proceeding under this Part of this Act all or . any hereditaments comprised in the same valuation list as respects which he has a right to make or bring any such proposal, objection or other proceeding, notwithstanding that they are separately assessed in that list, if, but only if, those hereditaments are owned or occupied by the same person or are comprised in the same building.

(2) Every owner who is rated under section 55 of this Act instead of the occupier, or who enters into an agreement with the rating authority under section 56 of this Act, in respect of any hereditaments shall, without prejudice to the rights of the occupier of any of those hereditaments, be treated for the purposes of the provisions of this Part of this Act relating to proposals, objections and appeals as standing in the same position as the occupier.

(3) Where any premises are unoccupied, any reference in this Part of this Act to the occupier shall be construed as a reference to the owner of the premises:

Provided that, where the owner is unknown and by virtue of subsection (2) of section 109 of this Act a notice addressed to the occupier has been served in accordance with that section, that notice shall be deemed to have been duly served on the owner.

(4) Any officer of a rating authority acting under any special or general resolution of the authority may authorise the institution, carrying on or defence of any proceedings, or the taking of any step, in relation to a valuation list which the authority are authorised or required to institute, carry on, defend or take.