Is My Rateable Value Too High?

If your business rates bill feels excessive, your rateable value may not reflect current market conditions. Before submitting a formal appeal, it's important to understand whether your property shows signs of potential over assessment.

You can check this in under 60 seconds.

What Does “Rateable Value” Mean?

Helping businesses understand their business rates position.

Your rateable value (RV) is set by the HMRC Valuation Office and represents the estimated annual rental value of your property at a specific valuation date.

Business rates bills are calculated using: Rateable Value x Relevant Multiplier = Annual Business Rates

If the rateable value is too high, you could be paying more than necessary.

Signs Your Rateable Value May Be Too High

You may wish to review your rateable value if:

Similar nearby properties have lower RVs.
Rental levels in your area have fallen.
Your property has changed in size or layout.
Trading conditions have deteriorated significantly.
A recent revaluation led to a sharp increase.

Not every increase indicates an error - but large discrepancies can justify further review.

How To Compare Your Property

To assess whether your RV may be high, you should compare: Property type, Floor area, Location, Rental evidence, Recent valuation changes.

The VOA provides some public information, but interpreting valuation comparisons can be complex.

This is why many businesses conduct a preliminary screening before starting a formal appeal.

Should You Appeal Immediately?

Appealing without evidence can: Result in rejection, Delay legitimate cases, Extend the process, Require tribunal escalation.

A structured pre-screening helps determine whether there is realistic indication of an over-assessment.

How To Check If Your Rateable Value Is Too High

Our independent screening tool reviews:

Property type
Rateable value level
Comparable reduction patterns
Typical saving ranges
Likelihood indicators

This helps you understand whether: No clear saving is indicated, Potential opportunity exists, Further specialist review may be appropriate.

Check Your Eligibility Now

What Happens If Potential Savings Are Identified?

If your results indicate a potential opportunity:

You can choose to request a specialist review.
An authorised rating adviser may assess detailed evidence.
Formal appeals are only pursued if justified.

There is no obligation to proceed.

If you’re considering formal action, read our guide on how the business rates appeal process works.

If you want to understand potential backdated claims, see our explanation of how business rates refunds are calculated.

You can also review what happens after you submit your details before proceeding.

Over-assessment signals can vary depending on property type. See our sector-specific pages for: Retail, Hospitality & Leisure, Offices & Industrial, Charity & Not-for-Profit, Healthcare & Medical.

Frequently asked questions

Can my rateable value be wrong?

In some cases, valuations may not fully reflect annual rental evidence or property changes.

How do you check if your rateable value may be too high?

Compare your property against similar properties nearby on type, size, location and recent rental evidence — or use the free eligibility checker on this site, which does that comparison automatically using publicly available HMRC Valuation Office data and gives an instant indication.

Can appealing increase my rateable value?

In rare cases, yes — if the evidence reviewed during a Check or Challenge points to your current valuation being too low rather than too high, typically where improvements have been made to the property since the valuation date. A preliminary review before submitting helps identify this risk in advance.

Is there a cost to check?

No — the free eligibility checker on this site costs nothing and carries no obligation. The formal Check and Challenge stages are also free to submit yourself. Only the final Appeal stage (referral to the Valuation Tribunal) carries a fee, up to £300, which is refunded if the appeal succeeds.

How long does a review take?

The initial free eligibility check is instant. The formal Check stage typically takes a few weeks to a few months to be acknowledged. The Challenge stage, if needed, usually takes six to eighteen months depending on complexity. Any reduction agreed is backdated to when the Check was submitted, regardless of how long the process takes to resolve.