Business Rates Checker London

London Coverage

Why London Businesses Need to Check Their Rates Now

The 2026 revaluation reset rateable values across London. The Valuation Office Agency used rental values at 1 April 2024 (the antecedent valuation date), not April 2025. Rents in some submarkets moved after that date, so a 2026 assessment does not automatically reflect every later change. That is one reason to compare your figure with similar properties.

Sectors where rents have been uneven are sensible places to make that comparison: retail on high streets outside the busiest centres, offices in some mid-tier locations, and warehousing and light industrial space where supply grew quickly before the valuation date. That is a prompt to check a property, not a finding that those sectors are overassessed.

London's 33 billing authorities send out the bills, but the rateable values themselves are set by the Valuation Office Agency. The checker compares your rateable value per m² with similar properties. It does not apply borough supplements or reliefs.

How the London Business Rates Checker Works

The checker runs five steps automatically — no sign-up, no forms to fill, no waiting for a callback:

1. Search your business address — we cover all London postcodes from EC1 to UB10
2. We retrieve your 2026 rateable value and floor area directly from the VOA database
3. Your rateable value per m² (£/m²) is calculated and matched to the VOA valuation scheme for your property type and location
4. We show you where your £/m² sits relative to the scheme median — and flag clearly if you are above it
5. If there is a potential overpayment, we estimate your annual saving and give you the option to connect with a RICS-regulated specialist for a free review

The whole process takes under a minute. You will see your position clearly, with no jargon.

Where a Closer Look Can Be Worthwhile

Every property is assessed on its own. A difficult trading street does not mean your rateable value is wrong. It does mean a comparison with similar properties is worth doing.

In retail, some outer high streets — including parts of Croydon, Bromley, Ilford and Walthamstow — have faced weaker trading conditions. The 2026 list uses rental values at 1 April 2024, which may not capture every later change in what those units can let for. That is a reason to check a unit there, not evidence that those areas are overassessed.

For light industrial and warehousing, parts of outer east London such as Barking, Dagenham and Rainham saw new supply come to market in 2023 and 2024. Rents on some estates may have levelled off after the 1 April 2024 valuation date. A later change is not automatically reflected in the 2026 list.

For offices, occupier demand has been uneven in some mid-zone locations, including Stratford, Elephant and Castle and Vauxhall. Whether that shows up in a particular rateable value can only be seen by checking that property against its own comparables.

Again: the only way to know whether your property is affected is to check it. The checker is free and takes less than a minute.

London Business Rates: The Basics

London has 33 billing authorities — each borough plus the City of London Corporation. Despite operating independently, they all use rateable values set centrally by the Valuation Office Agency. Your annual business rates bill is calculated as: Rateable Value × Uniform Business Rate (UBR).

For 2026/27 in England, the multiplier depends on the rateable value and, below £500,000, on whether the property is used for retail, hospitality or leisure.

A rateable value of £50,000 is under £51,000, so the small business multiplier of 43.2p applies unless a lower retail, hospitality and leisure rate applies. The baseline bill is £50,000 × 43.2p = £21,600 before reliefs. If the property qualifies for the small retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier, that rate is 38.2p (£19,100 before reliefs).

The other 2026/27 multipliers are 48.0p (standard, for a rateable value from £51,000 to £499,999), 43.0p (standard retail, hospitality and leisure in that same band) and 50.8p (rateable value of £500,000 or more).

In Greater London, the Greater London Authority adds a Crossrail Business Rate Supplement of 2p in the pound for 2026/27 where the rateable value is above £92,000. That threshold rose from £75,000 on 1 April 2026. A £50,000 rateable value is below it, so the supplement would not apply to this example. The City of London can also charge its own additional rate. The checker compares rateable values. It does not add these supplements.

A rateable value that is too high costs you for as long as it stays on the list. If a challenge reduces the value set at the 2026 revaluation, VOA guidance is that the reduction is normally effective from the start of the rating list (1 April 2026), not only from the day the case was submitted. You can usually ask for the 2026 value to be reviewed until that list closes on 31 March 2029. Effective dates depend on the type of case — a later change in circumstances is treated differently — so this is the general position, not a promise about a particular bill.

Frequently Asked Questions