As we mentioned here, the 2026 business rates revaluation took effect on 1 April 2026. The new rateable values have now been published and can be accessed here with a business rates valuation account. Business rates payers do not have to use an agent to check their rateable value and can register for their own account here.
There is a three-stage process for challenging a business rates valuation. The first is to highlight any factual errors and request the Valuation Office (VO) (now part of HMRC) to check that the valuation is based on correct information. This is the “check” process. If that does not result in a correction being made, the next stage is to provide evidence that the valuation is incorrect and request the VO to amend it. This is the “challenge” process. If that does not succeed, the challenge decision can be appealed to the Valuation Tribunal. This is the “appeal” process which is explained here.
Our Mark Sanders was interviewed for a recent Farmers Weekly article on business rates. He is a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) registered valuer and undertakes all aspects of business rates work, including representing business rates payers at the appeal stage if required.
