How to challenge business rates: key facts
- You challenge the rateable value, not the bill. The Valuation Office sets the rateable value; your council multiplies it by a multiplier and takes off reliefs.
- There are three stages: Check, Challenge, Appeal. You must raise a check case before a challenge, even if the facts held about your property are right.
- Challenge time limits: within 4 months of a check decision, within 16 months of the check submission for changes in the surrounding area, or after 12 months with no check decision.
- Appeal time limits: to the Valuation Tribunal within 4 months of a challenge decision, or 18 months after submitting a challenge with no decision.
- Send all your evidence with the challenge. The tribunal can only consider evidence given at check and challenge.
- Your rateable value can go up as well as down, and you must keep paying your bill until the tribunal decides.
How does the Check, Challenge, Appeal process work?
Check, Challenge, Appeal is the system for questioning a rateable value in England and Wales. A check confirms or corrects the facts about your property, a challenge argues the valuation is wrong, and an appeal asks the independent Valuation Tribunal to decide.
The Valuation Office (part of HMRC, often still called the VOA) sets your rateable value: its estimate of the yearly open-market rent for your property on a fixed date. Your council multiplies that by a multiplier and takes off any reliefs. Councils can't change rateable values, so if the valuation is wrong, Check, Challenge, Appeal is the route.
| Stage | Who deals with it | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Check | Valuation Office | Confirm or correct facts: floor area, use, parking, changes to the property or the area |
| 2. Challenge | Valuation Office | Argue, with evidence, that the rateable value is wrong, and propose a figure |
| 3. Appeal | Valuation Tribunal for England, or for Wales | An independent decision if you disagree with the challenge outcome |
How do I set up a business rates valuation account?
Register for a business rates valuation account on GOV.UK, then add your property. You can't raise a check case or appoint an agent until the property is in your account.
- Register for a business rates valuation account on GOV.UK.
- Add your property, following the steps on screen. Keep your rates bill and lease handy.
- Review the valuation: floor areas, the description, parking, any extra items and the price per square metre used.
- Decide what's wrong: a factual error, or a value you think is too high. Either way, you start with a check.
If you appoint a surveyor, they use their own account and give you an agent code to enter in yours. Never share your own sign-in details with anyone, including an agent.
What is a check case and when should I raise one?
A check case tells the Valuation Office that the facts about your property need changing, or that something outside your control has affected it. You must raise one before you can challenge, even if the facts are correct.
Common reasons for a check include:
- wrong floor areas, or space counted that shouldn't be
- the wrong main use or description
- parking, air conditioning or other items listed that you don't have
- renovations, demolition, splitting or merging the property
- a court decision on another property that affects yours
- a change in the surrounding area outside your control
That last one is a material change of circumstances (MCC). GOV.UK's examples are reconstruction or demolition of a neighbouring property and long-term disruptive roadworks. If the issue is temporary, you must raise the check while it's still happening.
Evidence: you can upload photographs, floor plans, your lease or rent agreement and a short statement explaining what's wrong and from when. When the check is finished you'll be told in writing, and your rateable value may go up, down or stay the same.
How do I challenge my rateable value, and what are the deadlines?
You start a challenge from the same valuation in your account. It must be within 4 months of the check decision, within 16 months of the check submission if the issue is a change in the surrounding area, or once 12 months pass without a check decision.
You need valid grounds: the valuation is wrong; the property shouldn't be valued; it should be split or merged; the published details are wrong; or a legal decision on another property shows the valuation is wrong.
What a challenge must include
- the reason for the challenge and evidence, such as valuations of similar local properties, legal decisions or photographs
- a supporting statement summarising your evidence
- a proposed rateable value and the date it should start
- rent details, including rent-free periods, if the property is rented (even if you're the landlord)
The Valuation Office may agree, partly agree or issue a decision. Your rateable value can go up, down or stay the same. You can't challenge the same valuation twice on the same grounds, or challenge a challenge decision: that's what appeals are for.
The 2023 list
Since the revaluation on 1 April 2026 you can normally only challenge your current valuation. A 2023 valuation can still be challenged in limited cases: a legal decision on another property (check raised by 30 September 2026), or a change the Valuation Office made to your 2023 entry (check raised before 1 April 2026 or within 6 months of the change).
How do I appeal to the Valuation Tribunal?
If you disagree with the challenge decision, appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England or for Wales within 4 months of the decision, or 18 months after submitting your challenge if no decision has been made.
- Evidence is limited to what you sent at check and challenge, which is why the challenge needs to be thorough.
- Keep paying your business rates until the tribunal decides.
- Penalty notices for false information can be appealed within 28 days of the notice date.
The tribunal sends a notice of hearing and gives you time to prepare. An agent can represent you if you tell the tribunal.
What are the time limits to challenge business rates?
You have 4 months to challenge after a check decision (16 months from submission for changes in the area), and 4 months to appeal after a challenge decision (18 months if there's no decision).
| Step | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Check for a temporary change in the area | While it's still happening |
| Challenge after a check decision | Within 4 months |
| Challenge about a change in the surrounding area | Within 16 months of the check submission |
| Challenge if a check isn't decided | After 12 months with no decision |
| Appeal after a challenge decision | Within 4 months |
| Appeal if a challenge isn't decided | 18 months after submitting it |
| Appeal against a penalty notice | Within 28 days |
The Valuation Office warns that some agents invent deadlines to pressure people. Check dates yourself on GOV.UK.
How can I tell if it's worth challenging my business rates?
Compare your valuation with similar properties using Find a business rates valuation on GOV.UK, look for factual errors, and consider whether anything outside your control has affected the property. If none of these shows a problem, a challenge may be hard to support.
- Compare. Look up similar properties and compare location, age, size, use and differences. If similar units nearby have a noticeably lower rate per square metre, find out why.
- Check the facts. Shops and offices are usually measured on net internal area, which excludes toilets, stairwells and internal structural walls. Is storage valued as sales space? Are items listed that you don't have?
- Think about the area. Long-term roadworks or neighbouring demolition may be an MCC.
Worked example: what would a change save?
A lower rateable value doesn't cut your bill pound for pound. Take an office in England in 2026/27 (not retail, hospitality or leisure), before reliefs:
- Rateable value £60,000 × 48p standard multiplier = £28,800
- If a challenge brought it to £48,000, it falls below £51,000, so the 43.2p small business multiplier applies: £48,000 × 43.2p = £20,736
- Difference before reliefs: £8,064 a year
These figures are illustrative, not a prediction; reliefs such as transitional relief change the result. If you already get full small business rate relief (rateable value £12,000 or less in England), a reduction may not change your bill. At the Budget on 28 October 2026 the government announced 2027/28 multipliers of 49.7p (standard) and 44.7p (small business), due from 1 April 2027.
What happens to my bill if my rateable value is reduced?
The Valuation Office updates the rating list and confirms the change in writing, and your council recalculates your bill using the new rateable value. Ask your council how it affects your payments.
The Valuation Office never tells you what you owe; the council works out the new bill with the right multiplier and reliefs. The change applies from an effective date, which is why a challenge asks when your proposed value should start. A change can also move you into a different multiplier band or change your reliefs, so the bill may not move exactly in line with the rateable value.
Should I challenge business rates myself or use a rating surveyor?
You can do the whole process yourself, free, in your business rates valuation account. Some people use a rating surveyor to save time, prepare evidence, use their knowledge of comparable valuations and keep track of deadlines. Agree any fee in writing first.
| Doing it yourself | Using a rating surveyor | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | You pay their fee, agreed in writing first |
| Time | You gather evidence and handle queries | They prepare and run the case |
| Evidence | You find comparisons yourself | They know which comparisons carry weight |
| Deadlines | You track every date | They track dates across all three stages |
A clear factual error, like a wrong floor area proved by a measured plan, is often simple to fix yourself. Arguments about value, an MCC or a pub valued on its trade are harder, because you must propose a figure backed by evidence.
Choosing an agent safely
- Get the fee, contract length and payment terms in writing before agreeing.
- If they claim membership of RICS, the Rating Surveyors' Association or the IRRV, check it.
- Be wary of cold callers asking for upfront fees, claiming links to the Valuation Office or pushing a deadline.
- Ask how a reduction would actually change your bill; the saving could be smaller than the fee.
Related guides
How to challenge business rates: frequently asked questions
Is it free to challenge business rates?
Yes. Using the business rates valuation account and raising cases is free. You only pay if you hire a rating surveyor or other agent.
Can the council change my rateable value?
No. The council works out the bill and gives reliefs. If the rateable value is wrong, that goes to the Valuation Office through Check, Challenge, Appeal.
Do I have to raise a check before a challenge?
Yes, even if the facts held about your property are correct. You can challenge once you have a check decision, or after 12 months without one.
Can my rateable value go up if I challenge it?
Yes. After a check or challenge your rateable value may go up, go down or stay the same.
Do I keep paying business rates during an appeal?
Yes. You have to keep paying until the Valuation Tribunal makes its decision.
Can I add evidence after submitting a challenge?
Only in exceptional circumstances, such as evidence that did not exist earlier. The tribunal can only consider evidence given at check and challenge.
What is a material change of circumstances?
A change outside your control that affects your property's value, such as long-term roadworks or neighbouring demolition. Report it with a check case, while it is still happening if it is temporary.
Is the process different in Wales?
The stages and the valuation account are the same, but appeals go to the Valuation Tribunal for Wales. Welsh multipliers and reliefs differ.
Can a rating surveyor do it all for me?
Yes. Once appointed through your account, an agent can raise checks and challenges and appeal for you. You stay responsible for what they submit.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these official sources on 10 November 2026:
- Challenging your business rates valuation (GOV.UK)
- Raising a check case to change your business property details (GOV.UK)
- Appealing your business rates to the Valuation Tribunal (GOV.UK)
- Appointing an agent for business rates (GOV.UK)
- Choosing a business rates agent (GOV.UK)
- Estimate your business rates (GOV.UK)