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Let me be blunt; I want a simple life.
Episode 1

Almost everything that has happened this week seems designed to make my life complicated. Not simply complicated but complicatedly complicated! The new part-time job has become complicated because the post needs to be advertised and I need to go through a selection process, in the meantime they may be able to offer me a casual contract to start the job, however there is no guarantee that I will get the fixed term contract (even if I accept the temporary casual contract). This would be simply complicated if I didn’t have to give up one of my current permanent part-time jobs in order to work the days the potential new employer want me to do under the casual contract.

We have been very fortunate with our studio, we have very loose arrangements with our landlord and while we all pay our rent they pretty much leave us alone. That was until they converted the previously industrial building in front of ours in to flats. Of courses they had to be re-assessed by the Valuation Agency Office for domestic ratings (though I Council Tax had replaced rates). During that re-assessment the VAO noticed our building and realised that it wasn’t registered for non-domestic rates. Seven artists occupy the top floor, some share spaces, some have locked doors but have access to other studios to use the lift, kitchen and toilet. Due to this the whole floor is rated as one premises (rather than five distinct individual premises). On Monday I received a non-domestic (ie. business) rates demand for £1940.40 for the current financial year. The demand was addressed to me at my home address. I called Lambeth and asked if this was a personal bill or for the whole floor, it was explained that it was actually an old calculation based on a previous rating and that a new rating would be issued within a month. The new bill would be for the whole floor (approximately) twice the old bill and would be sent to “whoever is the lease holder”. I explained that there we five leaseholders (though we don’t actually have leases). The woman at the council said that as the floor is rated as one business premises there can only be one leaseholder (or head-leaseholder) and the bill will be sent to them. She couldn’t confirm who that was but as they had my name already it could be addressed to me. I am not leaseholder, head-leaseholder and certainly not prepared to take on the rates bill for whole studio! This is complicatedly complicated.

cont./….


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