Find out in minutes — compare your rateable value per m² against similar properties using VOA data
Check My Property Free →Updated: April 2026
Most businesses have no idea their business rates are set using comparable evidence. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) doesn't pick your rateable value out of thin air — it's benchmarked against a "scheme" of similar property types and locations. If your property's rateable value per m² is higher than comparable properties in the same scheme, you may well be overpaying, and you have the right to challenge it.
The problem is that the 2026 revaluation — based on rental values at 1 April 2024 — has left some assessments out of line with similar properties, particularly in fast-moving urban markets. In London, the gap between properties in the same scheme can be substantial. A property assessed above the median rate per m² for its scheme may be worth a closer look. That is a reason to check, not a finding that the assessment is wrong.
For many businesses, a gap like that is a real annual cost for as long as the assessment stays on the rating list. The Check, Challenge, Appeal (CCA) process is how that value can be tested.
To understand why businesses end up overpaying, you need to understand how rateable values are actually set. The VOA groups similar properties into valuation "schemes" — for example, ground-floor retail units on a particular high street, or mid-sized offices in a specific business district. Within each scheme, surveyors use rental evidence from comparable lettings to establish a zone or floor-rate. Your rateable value is then calculated by applying that rate to your property's area.
The issue is that rental evidence isn't always evenly distributed. Some properties within a scheme will have strong comparable evidence pinning their value down; others may be assessed by extrapolation from transactions that don't perfectly match their characteristics. Properties that were refurbished, re-let, or changed use around the April 2024 AVD can end up assessed at outlier values — higher than the bulk of comparable evidence would justify.
For the 2026 revaluation, the April 2024 valuation date coincided with a period of significant divergence in commercial property markets. Industrial values in some outer-London boroughs softened from their post-pandemic peak, while parts of the central London office market were still adjusting to post-Covid occupancy patterns. Markets that moved quickly between the assessment date and the list date are especially prone to inconsistencies. If your sector — retail, industrial, office — saw softening in late 2024 or 2025, your 2026 rateable value may already be behind the curve before your appeal window has even opened.
Not every business will have grounds to challenge, but certain circumstances make an overassessment significantly more likely. Run through this checklist — if several apply to your situation, it's well worth doing a formal check.
Comparing your rateable value per m² with similar properties is a useful starting point. There is no fixed £/m² cutoff that proves an assessment is wrong. Our free checker lines your property up against the VOA scheme for its type and location so you can see the gap, if there is one.
Checking whether you're overpaying takes a few minutes and requires no specialist knowledge. Here's the process from start to finish.
The whole check takes under 60 seconds. There's no commitment involved and no personal information required beyond your property address. If the comparison does not show your rate above similar properties, we will say so. The result is a starting point, not a guarantee either way.
Yes — our tool is completely free. We only earn a fee if we refer you to a specialist and they successfully reduce your rates. If the check shows no grounds to challenge, there's nothing to pay and no obligation.
A Check, Challenge, Appeal (CCA) case typically takes 12–24 months from submission to resolution, but you may receive interim refunds during the process. Acting sooner is important — the appeal window runs from when the rating list came into force, so the earlier you act, the more of your appeal period you preserve.
No — appealing your rateable value through the CCA process doesn't affect your tenancy, your lease, your planning permissions, or your relationship with the billing authority. Your local council continues to administer your account as normal while any challenge is under review.