Semiempirical potential energy surfaces for the lowest three electronic states of the open-shell complex Br-HF are constructed, based on existing empirical potentials for Kr-HF and Kr-Ne and coupled-cluster electronic structure calculations for Br-Ne. Coupled cluster calculations are also described for He-F, Ne-F and Ar-F. Electrostatic interactions that arise from the quadrupole of the Br atom and the permanent multipoles of HF are also included in the Br-HF surfaces. The well depth of the lowest adiabatic surface is found to be 670 cm(-1) at a linear equilibrium geometry. The results of helicity decoupled and full close-coupling calculations of the bound states of the complex are also described. The ground state, with total angular momentum projection quantum number \P\=3/2, is found 435 cm(-1) below dissociation to Br (P-2(3/2))+HF (j=0). The lowest-frequency intermolecular bending and stretching vibrations are predicted around 145 and 211 cm(-1), respectively. Parity splittings are found to be extremely small for bound states with projection quantum number \P\=3/2. The relevance of the results to recently recorded spectra of Br-HF is discussed. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.